The Great Emu War: When an Army Lost to Birds

In 1932, the Australian military was deployed against an enemy that was, on paper, no threat at all: emus.

Tens of thousands of emus were migrating through Western Australia, destroying wheat farms in their path. Farmers, many of them veterans, requested military assistance, and soldiers were sent out armed with machine guns to cull the birds.

Machine Guns vs. Fast, Scattering Birds

The operation did not go as planned. Emus proved far faster, more evasive, and harder to hit in large groups than anticipated, splitting into small, scattering clusters that were nearly impossible to target effectively. After using a large amount of ammunition for a modest number of birds killed, the military campaign was called off, widely regarded — even at the time — as a loss.

The “Emu War” has since become a favorite example of how confidently a plan can fail when it underestimates its opponent.

What’s the most confident anyone has ever been about a plan that turned out to be completely wrong?