Kriegsmarine 8.2 inch guns

  • Hello,

    I am not a technical expert in gunnery matters so I pose the following questions purely as a layman.

    We know that the Hipper class cruisers were armed in accordance with the Wadhington Naval Treaties with 8 inch guns, the designated maximum calibre for cruisers.
    The High Seas Fleet before and during WW1 used an 8.2 inch calibre rather than 8 inch, for example on Scharnhorst and Blucher.

    Would it have been technically feasible to arm the Hipper class cruisers with 8.2 inch guns without affecting the design of the ships? Would the extra calibre make a significant difference to the weight of fire and to the rate of fire?

    Had Prinz Eugen been armed with 8.2 inch guns, would they have been more effective at the DS battle?
    Would Hipper have been more effective against Berwick with 8.2 inch calibre?

    I didn't find the right solution from the internet.
    References:

    http://www.kbismarck.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6773

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