This is one of the most ridiculous wars in the world.
The fact that it sounds equally absurd and unexpectedly in 1932, Australia declared war ostrich EMU.
What ended this confrontation?
It’s not an old April fool’s joke, known for videos with scenes of real great EMU war in Western Australia, during which involved soldiers with machine guns that fought with the flightless birds.
What did these birds to become participants of the violent resistance?
For the farmers of Western Australia began a hard time in the years of the great depression has increased the population of ostriches EMU. In the breeding season, about 20,000 EMUs migrated inland, along the way, devouring the crops, thus ruining the farmers. Farmers conveyed their grievances to the government. At the request of the deputies of the veterans of the First world war was a call to use guns to kill pests.
The war had been filled with 2 officers-gunner and 2 soldiers with Lewis machine guns, which had ammo in 10,000 rounds.
The fighting began in November 1932 – the last month of the Australian spring. Opening fire on the groups of EMU and shooting bullets from a distance, the military has achieved only a few tens of hits. Further was used the tactics of ambush, when fire was opened from hundreds of meters. The first shots of EMU ran helter-skelter in all directions, making the machine gun is pointless.
The next day, fighting a flock of about a thousand birds were ambushed near the waterhole. And again the bird ran away, using the fact that stuck a machine gun.
Major Meredith, the commander of the detachment, admiring the speed (50 km/h) and maneuverability EMU, told the press: “If we (Australians) had a division of those birds that can carry weapons, they could be put against any army in the world. They take the machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus…”
In birds, in addition to interest to survive, was also a longstanding resentment at their opponents. Australian soldiers wore the traditional wide-brimmed hat, which was decorated with a plume of EMU feathers.
Less than a week later, a military detachment was withdrawn. In a statement the soldiers were killed 986 birds, thus spent 9860 rounds.
Overall, the Great war with the EMU can be summarised as follows: dream machine gunners concentrated fire on concentrations of the enemy dispersed. The command of the EMU began using guerrilla tactics, their great army broke up into innumerable small units that made use of military equipment and guns is inappropriate. Droopy soldiers-Australians retreated from the battlefield in a month.
