I love the Gneisenau in WOWs, probably my favorite BB experience. I love the way she looks in game, even more than the Scharnhorst. So that got me wondering, how historically accurate is the refit WG gave her? I know the 15" refit was very much planned (and the KM just never got around to it), but did they get as far as to-the-inch blueprints? Or did WG have to make an educated guess as to what she would have looked like? Because I believe it wasn't just a pure turret swap, and that, for instance, the bow had to be lengthened, and perhaps other changes(?).
I've also noticed that the B hull has what appear to be Hermelin turrets for its secondaries. I believe this was a hypothetical refit on WGs part. Did those turrets exist on any ship?
None of this will change my feelings for the in-game presentation of the ship, but I'm just curious on a historical level. Thanks for any input on this.