A naval-history volume describes the Atlantic and Indian Ocean trade routes as Germany's chosen pressure point against Britain. The Deutschland-class ships combined diesel endurance with 11-inch guns and secondary batteries for long-range commerce raiding. The familiar claim that they could outrun anything they could not outfight is questionable because a Royal Navy battlecruiser could still catch a diesel-powered raider. Admiral Graf Spee's 1939 deployment illustrates the mission's central tension: attack merchant shipping while avoiding warships able to cause damage far from German repair facilities.
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How the Panzerschiffe were shaped for commerce raiding
A book passage connects the Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe's diesel endurance, heavy guns, and armour to attacks on British trade.