Qualla: The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds

The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds: Introduction

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In November 1932, the Australian government declared war on emus. This is not a metaphor. The Royal Australian Artillery deployed soldiers armed with Lewis guns to Western Australia's wheat belt, where 20,000 emus were destroying crops. The operation was expected to be a quick victory. It was not. The emus proved remarkably resilient to machine gun fire, surprisingly tactical in their evasion, and completely unwilling to surrender. After a month of combat, the military withdrew. The emus had won. Australia had lost a war to birds.

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The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds: The Enemy

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Emus are large, flightless birds native to Australia - the second-largest bird on Earth after the ostrich. They stand up to 6 feet tall and can run at 30 miles per hour. They travel in mobs of thousands. And in 1932, approximately 20,000 of them invaded the wheat farms of Western...

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The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds: The Strategy

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The solution seemed obvious: military force. Farmers petitioned for help, and the government agreed to deploy soldiers. The Royal Australian Artillery assigned Major G.P.W. Meredith and two soldiers, equipped with two Lewis guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The plan was to dr...

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The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds: The Battle

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The first engagement occurred on November 2, 1932, near the town of Campion. A mob of about 50 emus was spotted. The soldiers opened fire. The emus scattered. Only a few were killed. The second engagement was larger. A mob of over 1,000 emus approached the guns. The soldiers wai...

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The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds: The Retreat

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The campaign continued for weeks, with diminishing returns. The emus simply refused to cooperate with military tactics. They ran from the guns. They scattered under fire. They absorbed bullets without falling. Major Meredith reported that each emu required an average of ten round...

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The Great Emu War: When Australia Lost a War to Birds: The Victory

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Great Emu War became a national embarrassment. Newspapers mocked the defeat. One politician called the emu 'the enemy's best friend.' The government eventually resorted to a bounty system, paying farmers to kill emus themselves. This proved more effective - farmers killed 57,...

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