In 1938 the first design studies for a Panzerschiff successor were made. The new Panzerschiff was called Kreuzer P , its specifications showed a bigger, faster and better protected version of the original design. In many respects it was a modification of the design of the Panzerschiff D and Panzerschiff  E , the planned successors of the Deutschland class which were later modified to Scharnhorst and Gneisenau .

Since those ships should be used for commerce war, they were designed to be superior to an CA with its artillery and faster than existing battleships. In favor for better armed ships it was chosen to build a huge number of this ships, according to the Z-Plan 12 of them should have been build.

It was planed to lay down four of this ships per year, starting in 1939 so that the complete Z-Plan battle fleet would be operational by 1947. The first three of those ships should get the 28cm (11") turrets removed from the Scharnhorst and Gneisneau during their conversion to 38 cm (15") guns. As it got obvious in 1939 that this conversion would not be able in 1941/42 when it was originally scheduled for, three of the planed Kreuzer P should be modified to get 38 cm turrets which were already in production. This lead to the battlecruiser O-Class .

Although the ships were already assigned to shipyards, none of the Kreuzer P was ever ordered because of the start of World War 2