Why the bark would the Germans need a highly-skilled and equipped anti-Clank Unit?
Just in case. Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans maybe be allies for now, but later?
And, no doubt, to deal with the Americans and Japanese eventually, since both of those countries blend tech and have access to Clanker technology of their own.
They're probably also anti-mammothine troops, since the principles are similar, as anything that can take out a giant Clanker machine can take out a beastie.
What happens once the vitriolic barnacles finish their work with the anti-Behemoth traps in the Dardanelles? Based on how lethal they are described to be, they could create an ecological and diplomatic disaster between the British and the Ottomans, if they are allowed to proliferate unhindered after the mission is over, and somehow move on to eating ship hulls...
It's quite possible not much will come of it. They don't seem to spread very far, so they might not have much of a mobile phase. If that's the case, they wouldn't be able to establish themselves on ship hulls at all once the traps sink to the bottom. Plus, they're only violently acidic for a relatively short time. It's also not impossible that Dr. Barlow included some method of causing them to die off.
Despite what the book indicates, its more then likely that World War 2 will happen in this timeline. For one, the Imperialism of the nations. Now this is downplayed in the books, but its there. In our history, the Japanese entered the war so as to gain access to territory in Asia held by Germany. Its possible that this reason still holds. Now taking this into account, its very likely that the Darwinist powers will demand that German disarm and pay a war dept. The German economy collapses, and the world enters a depression. Its even worse in Russia. If an event like the depression were to happen, the Russia in this timeline will probably fall to Communism even if the nation survived the Great War. Nationalism begins to rise, and the rest is history. Despite what the book stated, World War 2 seems inevitable.
If one thinks about, the Clanker powers could have won the war if they held off long enough. The Darwinist beasts, while powerful, still need to eat and time to grow. As shown in the first book, Leviathan was unable to lift off due to a lack of food. Not only that, but it has been shown that Darwinist animals can be just as dangerous to enemy as to their allies. In comparison, Clanker weapons can operate as long as they have fuel and replacement parts. Unlike Darwinist animals, Clanker weapons can be salvaged and reused. Interestingly, this is mirrored in our world. During World War I, the US shipped more feed for the horses then food for their own men. Now take this image and apply it to a war beast. Even with genetically modified food, the resources required to mass a war beast army would be a massive drain on crop production. Overtime, food will run out to fuel the War Beast army.
