The Deutschland class sustained the industrial pathway from large 11-inch weapons to later German 15-inch guns, so abandoning it also carried strategic costs. Once Germany chose to evade restrictions, however, a stronger mini-Scharnhorst layout could have delivered more military value. Three triple 11-inch turrets would produce a more capable warship while retaining the gun-development program. The judgment is that such a ship was unlikely to trigger war by itself when other navies already operated much more heavily armed capital ships.
Chapter · 2:02:20-2:04:40
Deutschlands and the logic of cheating properly
Interwar treaty evasion is judged by whether the resulting warship justifies the political risk, leading to a counterproposal for three triple 11-inch turrets.