Australia Went to War With Emus… and Lost
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2026 4:53 am
History is filled with wars involving powerful nations, famous generals, revolutionary movements, and battles that changed the world. Then there was the time Australia essentially declared war on a bunch of large, flightless birds—and came out looking pretty ridiculous.
The event became known as the Great Emu War, and it took place in Western Australia in 1932. While nobody officially considered it a traditional war, the Australian government really did send soldiers armed with machine guns to deal with a massive emu problem. The emus, however, proved far more difficult to defeat than anyone expected.
<p/>
The trouble began after World War I. Australian veterans had been encouraged to settle in farming areas of Western Australia, where they were given land to grow wheat. Farming was difficult, and the Great Depression made things even worse.
Then came the emus.
Thousands upon thousands of the large birds migrated into farming areas looking for food and water. Emus can grow over six feet tall, run at impressive speeds, and weigh more than 80 pounds. More importantly, there were a lot of them.
The birds trampled crops, ate wheat, and damaged fences. Their destruction caused major problems for struggling farmers, who were already having a difficult enough time making a living.
<p/>
Farmers complained to the government and asked for help. The government came up with a solution that sounded reasonable on paper but quickly became absurd in practice: send in the military.
In November 1932, soldiers led by Major G.P.W. Meredith were dispatched with Lewis machine guns. Their mission was simple. Find the emus and shoot them.
What could possibly go wrong?
<p/>
Quite a lot, as it turned out.
The emus did not conveniently stand around waiting to be shot. They moved quickly, scattered when threatened, and proved surprisingly difficult targets.
When soldiers approached large groups of birds, the emus would often split into smaller groups and run in different directions. Trying to hit a fast-moving bird across rough terrain wasn't easy, even with machine guns.
One early attempt involved soldiers firing at a large group of emus. Unfortunately for the soldiers, the guns jammed, and many of the birds escaped.
The emus appeared to be winning.
<p/>
Major Meredith reportedly developed a strange respect for his feathered opponents. The birds were tough, fast, and difficult to organize against. Some descriptions of the campaign compared the emus to guerrilla fighters, constantly moving and refusing to cooperate with the military's plans.
At one point, soldiers even attempted to mount a machine gun on a truck so they could chase the birds. This was not particularly successful. The rough terrain made accurate shooting difficult, and the emus could move surprisingly fast.
Imagine explaining that problem in a military report.
"We attempted to chase the enemy."
"How did that go?"
"The enemy was faster."
<p/>
Eventually, the military operation was abandoned. The soldiers had killed some emus, but nowhere near enough to solve the larger problem. The government faced criticism, newspapers had a field day, and the entire situation became an international joke.
Australia had brought machine guns into a battle against birds and failed to achieve its objective.
The emus had not literally defeated the Australian military in the traditional sense. There was no surrender ceremony, no peace treaty, and no emu general standing triumphantly on a podium. Still, the military campaign failed, and the emus continued causing problems.
<p/>
The Great Emu War remains one of history's funniest examples of a government discovering that nature doesn't always cooperate with a plan.
It also serves as a valuable lesson: just because you have soldiers and machine guns doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win.
Especially when your enemy has wings, long legs, and absolutely no interest in following the rules of war.
The event became known as the Great Emu War, and it took place in Western Australia in 1932. While nobody officially considered it a traditional war, the Australian government really did send soldiers armed with machine guns to deal with a massive emu problem. The emus, however, proved far more difficult to defeat than anyone expected.
<p/>
The trouble began after World War I. Australian veterans had been encouraged to settle in farming areas of Western Australia, where they were given land to grow wheat. Farming was difficult, and the Great Depression made things even worse.
Then came the emus.
Thousands upon thousands of the large birds migrated into farming areas looking for food and water. Emus can grow over six feet tall, run at impressive speeds, and weigh more than 80 pounds. More importantly, there were a lot of them.
The birds trampled crops, ate wheat, and damaged fences. Their destruction caused major problems for struggling farmers, who were already having a difficult enough time making a living.
<p/>
Farmers complained to the government and asked for help. The government came up with a solution that sounded reasonable on paper but quickly became absurd in practice: send in the military.
In November 1932, soldiers led by Major G.P.W. Meredith were dispatched with Lewis machine guns. Their mission was simple. Find the emus and shoot them.
What could possibly go wrong?
<p/>
Quite a lot, as it turned out.
The emus did not conveniently stand around waiting to be shot. They moved quickly, scattered when threatened, and proved surprisingly difficult targets.
When soldiers approached large groups of birds, the emus would often split into smaller groups and run in different directions. Trying to hit a fast-moving bird across rough terrain wasn't easy, even with machine guns.
One early attempt involved soldiers firing at a large group of emus. Unfortunately for the soldiers, the guns jammed, and many of the birds escaped.
The emus appeared to be winning.
<p/>
Major Meredith reportedly developed a strange respect for his feathered opponents. The birds were tough, fast, and difficult to organize against. Some descriptions of the campaign compared the emus to guerrilla fighters, constantly moving and refusing to cooperate with the military's plans.
At one point, soldiers even attempted to mount a machine gun on a truck so they could chase the birds. This was not particularly successful. The rough terrain made accurate shooting difficult, and the emus could move surprisingly fast.
Imagine explaining that problem in a military report.
"We attempted to chase the enemy."
"How did that go?"
"The enemy was faster."
<p/>
Eventually, the military operation was abandoned. The soldiers had killed some emus, but nowhere near enough to solve the larger problem. The government faced criticism, newspapers had a field day, and the entire situation became an international joke.
Australia had brought machine guns into a battle against birds and failed to achieve its objective.
The emus had not literally defeated the Australian military in the traditional sense. There was no surrender ceremony, no peace treaty, and no emu general standing triumphantly on a podium. Still, the military campaign failed, and the emus continued causing problems.
<p/>
The Great Emu War remains one of history's funniest examples of a government discovering that nature doesn't always cooperate with a plan.
It also serves as a valuable lesson: just because you have soldiers and machine guns doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win.
Especially when your enemy has wings, long legs, and absolutely no interest in following the rules of war.