The Mackensen class attracts criticism for an exaggerated reputation as a German wonder weapon. Another assessment treats the ships as credible battlecruisers whose qualities did not make them automatic victors over the British Admirals. The comparison shifts to the following Ersatz Yorck design, with its projected speed used to challenge claims of German superiority. Dan initially dismisses the later projects as wartime make-work, then withdraws that objection when the others place the initial design studies before the war. The merits of an unbuilt design and Germany's wartime ability to complete it are separate questions.
Notable Point · 4:24:38-4:29:00
Mackensen, Ersatz Yorck, and the wonder-weapon myth
Mackensen was a credible German battlecruiser, but later claims that it was an Admiral-class killer exaggerate a design that remained part of a wider evolutionary race.