In 1932, the Australian military found itself engaged in one of the most bizarre battles in history—not against another nation, but against emus.

Yes, the large, flightless birds native to Australia.

What started as an attempt to control an overwhelming emu population in Western Australia quickly spiraled into an embarrassing and utterly ridiculous military defeat.

How did this happen? Why did it happen? And how did a bunch of birds outmaneuver the Australian Army?

Buckle up—this is the story of The Great Emu War.

The Problem: Too Many Emus

To understand how this war unfolded, we need to go back to the early 20th century.

After World War I, Australia encouraged returning soldiers to take up farming in Western Australia.

Thousands of veterans were given land to grow wheat and raise livestock.

There was just one problem: emu migration.

Every year, flocks of 20,000 emus migrated from inland Australia toward the coast in search of food and water.

But in 1932, the emus discovered something better: the wheat fields of these struggling farmers.

The massive flocks ravaged crops, trampling fences, and ruining entire fields. Desperate farmers pleaded for help from the government.

The Solution? Bring in the Army

The farmers’ cries for help reached the Australian government, which decided on an unorthodox solution: send in the military.

The Minister of Defence approved a plan to deploy soldiers armed with Lewis machine guns—weapons typically used in World War I.

The idea was simple: eliminate the emus in a swift and effective operation.

Major G.P.W. Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery led the mission, bringing two soldiers and 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

They were confident that within days, they would wipe out the emus and bring relief to the struggling farmers.

But they were wrong. Horribly wrong.

The Battle Begins: Machine Guns vs. Emus

On November 2, 1932, the war commenced.

The soldiers spotted a group of about 50 emus near Campion, Western Australia.

They set up their machine guns and prepared for an easy victory.

As the guns roared to life, something unexpected happened: the emus scattered.

Unlike human enemies, who might freeze under gunfire, the emus instinctively zig-zagged and ran at incredible speeds, making them extremely difficult targets.

The bullets missed, and within seconds, the emus had vanished into the scrubland.

Undeterred, the soldiers set up another ambush. This time, they found a flock of 1,000 emus. Major Meredith ordered his men to open fire.

The result? Chaos.

The machine guns overheated and jammed, and while some emus fell, most of them escaped—running so fast that they outran the soldiers.

Even when mounted on trucks, the gunners found it impossible to keep up. The emus were simply too fast and too unpredictable.

The Unstoppable Emus

After several days of battle, the soldiers admitted defeat.

The official reports stated that only about 1,000 emus had been killed—far fewer than expected—while thousands more continued destroying the wheat fields.

The emus had outmaneuvered, outlasted, and outright humiliated the Australian military.

Major Meredith later remarked:

“If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds, it would face any army in the world!”

The Australian government officially withdrew the military, leaving the farmers to deal with the problem on their own.

The emus had won the war.

The Aftermath: A Laughingstock & A Lesson Learned

News of The Great Emu War spread quickly, and Australia became a laughingstock in the global media.

The idea that one of the world’s most powerful military forces had been outwitted by birds was too ridiculous to ignore.

Newspapers around the world ridiculed the failed campaign.

Eventually, the government introduced a bounty system, offering farmers money for every emu they killed.

This turned out to be a much more effective strategy than using machine guns.

But the legend of The Great Emu War lived on as one of the most absurd conflicts in history.

Why This Story Still Matters

The Great Emu War is often seen as a joke, but it also highlights an important lesson about underestimating nature.

The Australian military thought they could solve an ecological problem with brute force, but the emus adapted, proving to be faster, smarter, and more resilient than expected.

Today, the story of the Great Emu War continues to be a favorite among history buffs, meme lovers, and anyone who enjoys bizarre, unbelievable stories.

So, the next time someone says, “history is boring,” tell them about the time Australia declared war on emus… and lost.