The plausible early design uses 11-inch guns because Versailles-era restrictions left Germany with practical experience in that caliber, while 15-inch weapons did not enter service until Bismarck. An alternative would postpone hull construction until a new 15- or even 16-inch system was ready. That choice would lengthen development but also pressure France to answer with its own heavier armament, showing how treaty allowances could restart competitive design spirals even within formal limits.
Notable Point · 1:15:38-1:18:23
German heavy-gun development under the treaty
Germany could build promptly with experienced 11-inch technology or delay construction for a national 15- or 16-inch gun program that would spur a French response.