Reich Defence Minister Groener for building the armoured ship A

Before the budget committee of the Berlin Reichstag on 1 March 1928, Reich Defence Minister Wilhelm Groener advocates building the armoured ship A, a cruiser with a new design concept.

Source: bobhenneman.info A British magazine cutaway of the Deutschland Class, at the time still in the preliminary stages of construction. The "Pocket Battleship" name stuck with these ships ever since

Against the votes of social democrats and communists, the committee will approve, on 30 March, the first instalment financing the project in the amount of 9.3 million Reich marks. SPD and KPD do not believe that the cruiser is intended only for coastal protection service and suspect that its construction is intended to circumvent the ban on large combat ships set forth in the Versailles Peace Treaty.