From treaty allowance to an overloaded carrier brief

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement gave Germany a total carrier tonnage allowance that encouraged plans for two ships, while Wilhelm Hadler’s first concept envisioned a 22,000-ton carrier with fifty aircraft and 35-knot speed. Reducing that design toward the treaty calculation removed tonnage and aircraft capacity before other demands accumulated. The staff then required cruiser-level protection and the ability to fight surface combatants, pulling the project away from a simple aviation platform. Graf Zeppelin could bring only eight casemate guns onto a broadside, an unfavourable match even against a twelve-gun Town-class light cruiser with central fire control. German officers inspected Akagi and sought information about HMS Furious, yet the finished concept still adopted the exposed French-influenced handling system discussed earlier.