The Austrian Army That Got So Drunk It Fought Itself
Public DomainJoseph II and Austrian forces during the Austro-Turkish War.
The Battle of Karánsebes might be one of the most embarrassing military blunders in history.
During the Austro-Turkish War, the army of the Habsburg Empire was a haphazard and chaotic military force. It was composed of Austrian nationals as well as men from the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Croatia, Serbia, and Poland — which made communication between the soldiers particularly challenging.
In September 1788, the Austrian army was advancing toward Ottoman territory when hussar scouts crossed the Timiş River and encountered Romani people selling schnapps. The weary cavalrymen began drinking, but when the infantry arrived shortly after and demanded alcohol, the hussars refused and set up makeshift fortifications around the barrels.
What followed was a heated argument and a sudden gunshot.
Panic ensued. Someone yelled, “Turks! Turks!” and chaos erupted as soldiers all shouted warnings in different languages. The situation worsened when German officers then shouted “Halt!” to restore order, which terrified soldiers who believed they heard “Allah! Allah!” They became convinced that they were under Ottoman attack.
Public DomainPiotr Michałowski’s 19th-century depiction of Austrian hussars.
One general who mistook the sight of fleeing hussars for an enemy cavalry charge ordered artillery fire against what were actually fellow Austrian units. The entire camp descended into pandemonium.
By dawn, the carnage was revealed: All casualties wore Austrian uniforms. Estimates range wildly from 150 to 10,000 dead and wounded. Two days later, the Ottoman army arrived to find Karánsebes virtually undefended and easily captured the town.
However, there is debate amongst historians regarding the facts of the incident. Official records of the battle weren’t published until 1831, over 40 years after it supposedly happened, leading some to theorize it may have been embellished if not entirely fictionalized. Others believe it may have been left out of records for so long simply because of how embarrassing it was.
One thing is for certain, though: The schnapps must have been strong if the Austrians didn’t realize they were fighting themselves.
