Hi there,
dalamaces & Earl_of_Arlands very nice German CLs inspired me to redraw the M-class.
My old drawing from 2015 wasn't up to todays standards and sadly also out of scale...
Design studies on the M-class were started as early as 1936. The ships were intended to be high endurence commerce raiding cruisers and were therefore intendend to be built with a mixed propulsion system consisting of diesel engines and steam turbines.
Orders for the first two ships were issued in 1938 and their keels were laid down in the same year. Construction was halted shortly after the outbreak of the war and the hulls were broken up on the stocks shortly thereafter.
cheers
maomatic