Raeder removed senior officers who disagreed with him in 1928 and 1929, then promoted loyal supporters. He considered the Panzerschiffe an unsatisfactory hybrid with the drawbacks of battleships and cruisers. Even so, he backed the ships to inspire public support, win over politicians, keep funding from shifting to the army, and sustain German naval industry. These were strategic and political reasons, though they produced a design with limited naval usefulness. The choice introduces the tension between political expediency and a coherent fleet design.
Notable Point · 7:26-8:34
Loyalty, pocket battleships, and expedient naval choices
Raeder's personnel politics and support for the Panzerschiffe illustrate a preference for politically useful, short-term choices.