Why the Kriegsmarine preferred twin turrets

Why did the Kriegsmarine resist triple turrets even after Krupp developed a triple 20.3 cm mounting?

German planners emphasized distributing guns across more turrets, although the panel notes that the surviving-gun advantage largely disappears when the layouts are compared directly.

German designers worried that losing one triple turret would remove a third of a ship's main battery, while losing one of four twins cost only a quarter. Foxo points out that an eight-gun ship with one twin disabled and a nine-gun ship with one triple disabled both retain six guns. The percentages can therefore exaggerate the practical advantage of twins. Low confidence in mechanical reliability is offered as another possible reason for favoring more separate mountings. The large size of German guns with sideways-sliding breeches could also make a triple mounting particularly bulky; the exchange presents these as possible explanations, not a demonstrated single cause.