German scout-carrier doctrine for surface raiders

The surviving German starting point is a 1915 Imperial German Navy small-carrier concept intended to support the High Seas Fleet with about twenty-nine aircraft distributed across three hangars and a planned speed of twenty-one knots. Its principal missions were scouting and air defense rather than the strike role that later came to define fleet carriers. In a 1920s sea-denial force, a successor could work alongside the Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe and keep reconnaissance aircraft available without forcing a raider to stop for launch or recovery. Because speed and freedom of movement were central to raider survival, separating aviation facilities from the combatant could improve both endurance and tactical flexibility.