Say you're in the early 30s in Germany, and you want to build a fleet capable of helping you once the fighting starts, what is your train of thought?
Likely enemies include France, Britain, Poland & Czechoslovakia, Italy and the USSR.
Option 3. Stalemate with Britain and war with the USSR
Here, if you focus on strangling Britain whilst defending in the east, the Russians will eventually steamroll all over you. However, if you knock out your eastern opponent, then whatever Britain does suddenly becomes inconsequential. Therefor, the Navy should be focusing on helping you knock out the USSR.
So what kind of navy do you need, that can help you knock out France and the USSR? Well, certainly not one primarily based on commerce raiding against Britain.
So, let's assume the Germans come to this same conclusion, that the chief goal of the navy should be support in knocking out land-based opponents first and foremost. Off the top of my head, some possible operations include:
1. Surprise naval landings in the Netherlands in support of attack west
2. Naval landing in Scandinavia to secure the northern flank, and possibly cut off link between Britain and the USSR
3. Naval landings on the Baltic coast in support of any attack east
Take #3 for instance. A landing at Riga or Narva would have helped trap hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers. A coup de main at Leningrad would have been crippling to the Soviets.
So, what would a Kriegsmarine focused on naval ops in the Baltic and North Sea look like? And what, if anything, could they achieve?