The Army That Beat Itself
The Battle of Karansebes (1788) was one that featured blunder after blunder. It ended in a farcical debacle, in which an army killed up to 10,000 of its own ranks, routed itself, and scattered in panicked flight without an enemy anywhere near. It took place amidst the Austro-Turkish War of 1787-1791, and was fought between an Austrian army of 100,000 men, and itself. Austria ruled a diverse and multiethnic empire, and its army was drawn from various ethnic groups, most of whom could not understand each others’ languages.
On the night of September 21 – 22, 1788, Austrian hussars crossed a river to scout. They found no Turks, but they did come across some Gypsies who sold them schnapps. Soon, the hussars were uproariously drunk. Back in the camp, the Austrian commander grew worried when the hussars took too long to return, so he sent some infantry across the river to check on them. The infantry found the hussars, who by then were four sheets to the wind, and demanded a share of their schnapps. When the hussars refused to share, a brawl ensued, and soon escalated into an exchange of gunfire. That was bad, but as seen below, things were about to get worse.