Did Axis navies pursue AA cruiser concepts?

Did Axis navies try anti-aircraft cruiser concepts?

They considered or converted ships for heavy air defense, especially in Germany, but Italy lacked the numbers for a purpose-built cruiser and none maps neatly onto the broader Dido or Atlanta screening role.

Retrospective labels can obscure contemporary roles. Germany converted ships such as Niobe into heavy floating flak platforms, while Italy lacked enough cruisers to sustain a purpose-built specialist type. Converted British C- and D-class ships were closer to pure AA cruisers, whereas Dido and Atlanta retained surface-combat and command responsibilities as screening or destroyer-force cruisers. Axis experiments therefore need to be compared by function rather than simply by the number of anti-aircraft guns carried.