Versailles allowed Germany to replace an old pre-dreadnought once it reached twenty years of age with a ship nominally limited to 10,000 tons. The Deutschland class was substantially heavier in practice, reaching about 10,800 tons standard and roughly 14,500 tons at full load. France threatened enforcement at several points but was unlikely to mobilise over a replacement programme, giving Germany room to test the restriction. Choosing six 11-inch guns made the ships sound more powerful than treaty heavy cruisers with eight-inch weapons. The armament nevertheless reproduced the original dilemma: an enemy could answer with several cruisers or a capital ship. The proposed alternative is again a faster ship with three triple turrets, using treaty evasion to build a coherent cruiser rather than a prestige category.
Notable Point · 36:19-39:20
Deutschland displacement and the 11-inch treaty gamble
Germany used the treaty right to replace twenty-year-old pre-dreadnoughts, but the Deutschland class exceeded the nominal 10,000-ton limit and chose guns that invited a stronger enemy response.