Ordering cruisers before settling what they were for

By the time Köln was built as Cruiser D, the three-ship class had already reached its end. The Reichsmarine appears to have ordered ships partly to keep building rather than from a stable doctrine for their use. One alternative arrangement puts two turrets forward and leaves one aft, reducing the collision between mines, torpedoes, and ammunition. That exact arrangement would bring its own fire-control compromises, but the accepted layout was not inevitable. The awkward weapons plan reflected unclear institutional requirements rather than an isolated drafting error.