The ships were armed with six quick-firing guns mounted in two triple turrets, one fore and one aft. It is not known if these were to have been the same 28 cm SK C/28 guns as the preceding "Deutschland"-class cruisers, or the 28 cm SK C/34 guns used by the "Scharnhorst"-class battleships. The ships were also armed with four /L55 guns in two twin turrets, also mounted on the centerline, fore and aft. The fore 28 cm turret would have been superfiring over the fore 15 cm turret; the layout was reversed for the aft pair of turrets. The 15 cm twin turrets were Drh L. C/34 mounts—the same type as those fitted to the - and s, as well as a number of other designs. The turrets allowed depression to −10 degrees and elevation to 40 degrees, which enabled a maximum range of . The 15 cm guns had a rate of fire of between 6 and 8 rounds per minute, at a muzzle velocity of 875 meters per second (2,871 ft/s). The guns used two propellant charges: a RPC/38 fore charge and a main charge in a brass cartridge.