The Great Emu War (1932)
In Australia, in the year 1932, there was an unexpected war—against emus. Yes, those tall, flightless birds that roam the Australian outback became the "enemy" of the Australian military in one of the most bizarre conflicts in history.
The Background
After World War I, many Australian soldiers were given farmland in Western Australia. But as the Great Depression hit, these farmers were struggling to grow crops, and to make matters worse, thousands of emus (an estimated 20,000!) migrated into the farmlands from the outback in search of food. The emus found the farmers' crops irresistible and started wreaking havoc on the wheat fields. The farmers, desperate to save their livelihoods, asked the government for help.
The Plan
The Australian government decided to send in the military—with machine guns! Yes, that’s right, they declared war on emus. The plan was to send soldiers armed with Lewis guns, a type of light machine gun used during World War I, to thin out the emu population.
The War
On November 2, 1932, the "war" began. A couple of soldiers, including Major G.P.W. Meredith, were deployed with the guns to take on the emus. However, the emus proved to be incredibly elusive. They were fast and scattered quickly, making it difficult to aim at them. In fact, many emus managed to dodge the gunfire altogether. The soldiers' attempts to herd the emus into an ambush also failed—emus don't herd!
Over several days, despite firing thousands of rounds of ammunition, the soldiers managed to kill only a few hundred emus. The rest simply outran or outsmarted them. At one point, the machine gun even jammed, much to the delight of the emus who continued their assault on the wheat fields.
The Outcome
After days of failure, Major Meredith famously remarked, "If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds, it would face any army in the world!" Ultimately, the emus won the "war." The military withdrew, and the emu population continued to flourish.
The Aftermath
The Great Emu War became a source of embarrassment for the Australian government and is now remembered as one of the most absurd military operations in history. Eventually, the farmers had to resort to other methods to protect their crops, like fencing, rather than taking on the formidable emu army.
The Great Emu War remains a quirky and humorous footnote in history—proof that sometimes, nature outsmarts even the best-laid human plans!
