The Deutschland-class cruiser dilemma

The Deutschland class was a distinctive response to German constraints but an awkward combat proposition. A full-load displacement of roughly 14,500 tons and diesel machinery gave the ships impressive endurance, yet a top speed of about 28 knots did not guarantee escape from cruisers. Six 11-inch guns could overmatch an ordinary heavy cruiser and therefore encouraged an opponent to concentrate several cruisers or send a fast battleship or battlecruiser. The result sat between categories: too heavily armed to be ignored as a cruiser, but too lightly protected and armed to fight the capital ships its prestige invited. Range and gun size therefore cannot be judged separately from the opponent's likely response.