The Feathered Enemy

"The Feathered Enemy – The true story of the army that lost a war to birds" chronicles one of the most ridiculous military operations in history: The Great Emu War of 1932. Following World War I, Australian veterans were given land to farm, only to be invaded by 20,000 migrating emus destroying their wheat. The government responded by sending the Royal Australian Artillery armed with Lewis machine guns to cull the birds. Historian Jack Harper narrates the humiliating campaign where the flightless birds used guerrilla tactics, scattering in small groups to avoid machine gun fire. Despite expending thousands of rounds of ammunition, the soldiers killed only a fraction of the emus before retreating in defeat. "The Feathered Enemy" is a hilarious yet poignant look at humanity's arrogance in trying to dominate nature with brute force. It shows that sometimes, sophisticated technology is no match for chaos, instinct, and a lot of feathers.