Australia Lost a War to a Bird | The Great Emu War
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- It is October 1932, two fierce opponents are about to face off in the field of battle. On one side were trailed military personnel carrying machine guns, on the other was a flock of birds.
After the conclusion of the First World War, many veterans returning to Australia were given free land for farming. These new farmers were trying their hand at growing wheat, but wheat prices were falling - something further exacerbated by the Great Depression.
Many farmers simply could not sustain this lifestyle, but the ones who tried to do it in Western Australia were faced with a brand new challenge: emus.
Because of their migration patterns, as many as 20,000 emus arrived in Western Australia. These emus were greeted with many fields of wheat, and so they started violating fences, eating the wheat, and devastating the farmers' lifestyles.
This, in turn, raised diplomatic tensions between the emus and the Australian government. However, they were not quite ready to take immediate action - the Great Depression had made things hard enough on them already.
But as farmers became increasingly vocal, the pressure on the Australian government became higher by the day. This all ended when a band of former soldiers met up with the then Minister of Defence Sir George Pearce. Those soldiers, familiar with machine guns, implored the Australian military to use them in a war against the emus.
Now the Australian government had been put in a tough spot - with little money to spend but the prospect of war looming over their heads.
Pearce supported the declaration of war, and the government was increasingly keen on the idea. Western Australian farmers seemed to want this war, and Western Australia had a growing secessionist movement, so they conceded.
The farmers were given conditions, they would finance the war and provide food and accommodation for the soldiers. They agreed.
Australia mobilized three men for the war: Major G. P . W. Meredith, Sergeant S. McMurray, and Gunner J. O’ Halloran. Their war machine turned out two Lewis machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. There was no turning back now.
And so, on November 2, 1932, two armies found themselves facing each other on the outskirts of Campion.
On one side, the Australian Military, on the other 50 emus. Herded by farmers, the emus were rounded up and readied for an ambush.
The Australians opened fire.
Emus ran, scattering themselves into many smaller groups. Their tactics baffled the Australians, and so they managed to retreat effectively with minimal casualties.
Later that day, a flock of emus came upon the Australians - but they deployed the same tactics. They retreated safely, suffering “about a dozen” losses.
Result: tactical victory for the emus.
Devastated by the loss, Meredith and his men changed their position to a nearby dam.
The emus had received intel of the Australian offensive and were getting ready to retaliate. A battalion of over 1,000 emus was sent toward the Australian position.
Meredith got word of the incoming assault, and despite the lowered morale from his previous defeat, managed to establish a defensive position at the dam. They would allow the emu offensive to get close to them.
When the flock of birds was in close proximity to the Australians, they opened fire. The first five seconds of the battle looked promising for the
Australian troops, with ample opportunity to devastate their enemies’ troops with their superior technological weaponry. And then the guns jammed.
The birds, again, suffered very few casualties before going on another tactical retreat. The Australians, on the other hand, had to spend hours fixing their malfunctioned (perhaps sabotaged) equipment.
Result: decisive emu victory.
Meredith decided to head south, where the emus were reportedly tamer.
The days that followed saw little conflict. Meredith attempted various strategies, including mounting a machine gun on a truck, but the rocky roads made it hard to aim. Meredith noticed the birds were becoming increasingly organized, staying in guarded groups and keeping watchers on the lookout for the Australians.
Bird expert Dominic Serventy analyzed the situation:
“The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.”
With negative press coverage, the Australian government became reluctant to continue military engagement. Even Meredith was adopting a pessimistic outlook, commenting:
If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world ... They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks.
Finally, the Australians implemented a ceasefire. It was estimated that a mere 300 emus had lost their lives - barely a dent to their strong 20,000.
Edited by Myles Adoh-Phillips
Written by Lucas L
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The emu walked the earth long before man appeared on the scene and will still walk long after mankind becomes extinct.