The Great Emu War – Australia’s Strangest Military Campaign… and Defeat
From Federation in 1901, Australia’s military story has been written on foreign battlefields: the Boer War, two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But in 1932, the only military campaign ever fought on Australian soil unfolded in the wheat belt of Campion, Western Australia.
While the Great Depression crushed farmers, some 20,000 emus descended on their crops. Powerful, flightless, and contemptuous of fences, the birds systematically destroyed livelihoods. Desperate, the government deployed soldiers with machine guns against an enemy that refused to fight like one.
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What followed became one of the most peculiar episodes in military history: strategy versus stubborn birds, and an army that discovered its most unconventional opponent. Join Gary Kent as we investigate the Great Emu War, the conflict Australia never expected to fight at home.
*Chapters*
00:00 Introduction: Australia's Strangest Conflict
02:23 Campion: A Town Born from Farming
03:32 Origins of the Emu War: WWI Veterans & Soldier Settlements
06:08 The Emu Invasion Begins
07:49 From Protected Species to "Vermin"
09:36 The Military Is Called In
10:19 The First Attack Fails
13:11 The Battles Continue — Ambushes & Jammed Guns
16:30 The War Ends — The Emus Win
18:56 The Battle of Jericho: Faith Over Firepower
22:37 The Defeat at Ai & Achan's Disobedience
25:32 Lessons from Jericho and Ai
26:27 Free Gift
📚 *The free booklet for this episode, "Patriarchs and Prophets":* 📚
https://tij.tv/offers/patriarchs-and-prophets/
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