Dumbest Battle in History: Battle of Karánsebes
Summary
TLDRIn September 1788, during the Habsburg-Ottoman War, the Austrian army led by King Joseph II faced a bizarre and chaotic situation near the town of Carabas, modern-day Romania. The multi-ethnic, hundred-thousand-strong force, with many soldiers not even speaking German, encountered a group of Roma people offering schnapps. This led to a drunken scuffle between the Hussars and the infantry, which escalated into a full-blown fight. Amidst the confusion, a shot was fired, and the soldiers, in their inebriated state, mistakenly believed they were under Ottoman attack. The ensuing panic led to the entire camp believing in an ambush, causing a disorganized retreat and self-inflicted casualties. The Austrian officers' attempts to restore order were misunderstood due to the language barrier, further fueling the chaos. The incident, which may have resulted in up to ten thousand casualties, led to the loss of strategic ground to the Ottomans. While the exact details of the event have been distorted over time, it is clear that a significant military blunder occurred, impacting the course of the war.
Takeaways
- 🏰 In September 1788, the Austrian army, led by King Joseph II, was engaged in the Habsburg-Ottoman War.
- 👥 The Austrian army was large and diverse, composed of numerous ethnicities, some of whom did not speak German.
- 🏙️ The army was scouting near the town of Carabas, modern-day Romania, and decided to set up camp near the Timis River.
- 🥃 A contingent of hussars encountered Roma people offering schnapps, leading to drinking and a scuffle with infantry over the alcohol.
- 🔥 A shot was fired, which escalated the scuffle into a full-blown fight, with soldiers mistakenly believing they were under Ottoman attack.
- 🗣️ Confusion was exacerbated by language barriers, with Austrian officers' commands being misinterpreted as the Ottoman battle cry.
- 💥 The ensuing chaos led to the Austrian camp being fired upon by their own artillery, believing they were under attack.
- 🏃 The Austrian army, thinking they were retreating from an Ottoman ambush, suffered significant casualties and lost equipment.
- 👑 Emperor Joseph II was knocked off his horse during the confusion, highlighting the disarray within the ranks.
- 📰 There were contemporary accounts of a military blunder in Carabas, although the exact details and scale of the incident are disputed.
- 🤔 While the exact sequence of events may never be fully known, it is clear that a significant event led to the Austrian withdrawal from a strategically important location.
Q & A
What year did the incident involving the Austrian army and the Ottomans occur?
-The incident occurred in September 1788.
What was the approximate size of the Austrian army during the Habsburg Ottoman war?
-The Austrian army was around a hundred thousand strong.
Why was the Austrian army made up of numerous ethnicities?
-The army was composed of various ethnicities because it was drawn from all corners of the Austrian Empire, including people who didn't even speak German.
Who led the Austrian army during the Habsburg Ottoman war?
-The Austrian army was led by the Holy Roman Emperor himself, King Joseph II.
What was the Austrian army doing near the town of Carabas?
-The Austrian army was scouting for the forces of the Ottoman military near the town of Carabas in modern-day Romania.
What river was the Austrian army camped next to?
-The Austrian army set up camp next to the Timis River.
What led to the scuffle between the Hussars and the infantry?
-The scuffle started when the infantry demanded some of the barrels of alcohol that the Hussars had bought and refused to share, leading to a conflict between the two groups.
How did the drunken confusion escalate into a full-blown battle?
-The drunken confusion escalated into a battle when a shot was fired, causing the soldiers to believe they were under attack by the Ottomans.
Why did Austrian officers' attempts to restore order make the situation worse?
-The situation worsened because many soldiers did not speak German and misheard the command 'halt halt' as 'Allah-Allah', which is the Ottoman battle cry.
What was the reported number of casualties for the Austrian army?
-The reported number of casualties ranged from around 1,000 to as high as ten thousand.
What was the outcome of the incident for the Austrian army?
-The Austrian army ended up retreating in disarray, believing they were fighting an imaginary enemy, and had to leave the town of Carabas unprotected from the Ottoman forces.
What evidence supports the occurrence of a military blunder in the Austrian army during the Habsburg Ottoman war?
-Evidence includes historical records and articles from the time, as well as the strategic importance of the area and the Ottomans' awareness of Austrian army confusion during September.
Why is there debate about the exact details of the Battle of Karánsebes?
-The debate arises because the story has changed over time due to exaggerations, fabrications, multiple retellings, and sometimes bad research.
What was the strategic significance of the town of Karánsebes during the war?
-Karánesebes was strategically significant as it protected the road towards the Hungarian plain, making it an important valley for the Austrians to control.
Outlines
🤯 The Battle of Krantz Abbas: A Tale of Miscommunication and Confusion
In September 1788, during the Habsburg-Ottoman War, the Austrian army, led by King Joseph II, was stationed near the town of Carabas in modern-day Romania. The large, ethnically diverse army of around 100,000 soldiers encountered a group of Roma people offering schnapps. The soldiers, including the Vanguard, began drinking and lost focus on their mission. A dispute over the liquor escalated into a scuffle, which was further complicated by language barriers and misunderstandings. The confusion led to a mistaken belief of an Ottoman attack, causing a chaotic retreat. Austrian officers' attempts to restore order were misunderstood as the Ottoman battle cry, exacerbating the situation. The disarray resulted in significant casualties, estimated between 1,000 to 10,000, and the loss of equipment and payroll. The aftermath revealed a military blunder that led to the Austrian army's retreat from a strategically important location, leaving it vulnerable to the Ottoman forces.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Habsburg Ottoman War
💡Austrian Army
💡King Joseph II
💡Carabas
💡Timis River
💡Hussars
💡Schnapps
💡Miscommunication
💡Allah
💡Casualties
💡Strategic Importance
Highlights
In September 1788, the Austrians faced the Ottomans in the Habsburg Ottoman war.
The Austrian army was large, around a hundred thousand strong, composed of various ethnicities.
The army was led by Holy Roman Emperor King Joseph II.
They were scouting near the town of Carabas, modern-day Romania.
A camp was set up near the Timis River as the day ended.
The Army's Vanguard, who Tsar's, continued scouting and encountered a group of Roma people.
Soldiers were offered schnapps and began drinking, forgetting their duties.
Infantry crossed the river and wanted to join the party, leading to a dispute over alcohol.
A scuffle broke out between the who Tsar's and infantry over the barrels of alcohol.
A shot was fired, turning the scuffle into an all-out fight.
Confusion led to soldiers yelling 'courtesy', mistaken for 'Turks' or 'Ottomans'.
Drunken who Tsar's fled, fearing an Ottoman attack, followed by the infantry.
Austrian officers' attempts to restore order were misunderstood, escalating the chaos.
An officer mistook the fleeing soldiers for Ottomans and ordered artillery fire.
The entire camp believed an Ottoman attack was happening, leading to disarray.
Soldiers fired at shadows, believing them to be Ottomans, and Emperor Joseph was knocked off his horse.
The army suffered up to ten thousand casualties, with credible sources suggesting around one thousand.
Equipment was lost, including the Army's payroll, and several soldiers went missing.
The Austrians had to retreat, leaving the town unprotected from the Ottoman forces.
Second-hand sources and historical debates suggest the Battle of Krantz Abbas did happen.
Strategic positioning and Ottoman awareness of Austrian confusion support the battle's occurrence.
The Austrian military's withdrawal from a strategically important place implies a significant event.
Articles from the time and later retellings suggest a military blunder in Krantz Abbas.
The exact details and extent of the battle may never be fully known due to exaggerations and retellings.
Transcripts
in September the year 1788 the Austrians
were yet again finding the Ottomans in
the so-called Habsburg Ottoman war most
of the Austrian army was large around
hundred thousand strong but was made up
of numerous ethnicities from all corners
of the Empire some who didn't even speak
German this crude army led by the Holy
Roman Emperor himself King Joseph ii was
scouting for the forces of the ottoman
military near the town of Carabas in
modern-day Romania as the day was coming
to an end the army decided to set up a
camp near the town next to the timís
River the Army's Vanguard a contingent
of who Tsar's continued to scout for the
Ottomans and cross the river however
found nothing more than some group of
Roma people or valakians offering to
sell barrels of schnapps liquor to the
soldiers naturally the soldiers took the
deal and got to drinking right away
seemingly forgetting their purpose there
in the first place
shortly after Somme de Infantry crossed
a river as well only to find a drunk
contingent of who Tsar's partying the
infantry wanted to join in and demanded
some of the barrels of alcohol for
themselves but the hussars refused as
they were the ones who bought it and
also were of higher status than a meager
infantryman soon a scuffle broke out and
the drunk who Tsar's made up makeshift
defences around the barrels suddenly in
the confusion a shot was fired by
someone and the drunken scuffle turned
into an all-out fight during the battle
some of the infantry started to yelled
courtesy toward sea meaning the Turks or
Ottomans the drunken confused who Tsar's
fled in fear of an ottoman attack with
the infantry being quick to follow all
while still attacking each other the
situation was made even worse when
Austrian officers made aware of the
problem tried to restore order by
yelling halt halt meaning stop however
many of the soldiers didn't speak German
and misheard the words as allah-allah
the Ottoman battle cry the hasar is now
convinced of an ottoman ambush ran
through the camp where an officer
mistook them for charging Ottoman
soldiers and ordered and artillery fire
with the entire camp now persuaded of an
ottoman attack the disorganized army
tried to flee the scene from an
imaginary enemy soldiers fired on every
shadow
thinking it could be the Ottomans and
the Emperor Joseph himself was knocked
down of his horse into a creek the
entire army now fighting a retreating
battle against itself suffered
reportedly anywhere up to ten thousand
casualties our credible sources for the
number more around 1,000 also in
addition to lost equipment a chest
containing the entire Army's payroll was
quote-unquote lost and several soldiers
were recorded as missing it was only
when the entire army finished its
retreat that the Austrians found out
what actually happened in count sabes
but now disorganized and in no position
to fight they had to leave the town
unprotected from the Ottoman forces now
there are many second-hand sources and
people who know better than to start a
pointless argument in the comments
section that will argue that such a
battle of krantz Abbas never happened
and that's not entirely true
so let's look at the facts we know for
sure we know that at one point during
the war the austrian army was in
conscious order surrounding area we also
know that this positioning makes
strategical sense as cannabis is an
important valley protecting the road
towards the hungarian plain on top of
that we know that the ottomans were
aware of some kind of a confusion within
the austrian army during september and
used this to their advantage forcing a
blockade of the upper Daniel so looking
at these facts and makes no sense for
the Austrian military to have withdrawn
from such a strategically important
place giving the Ottomans an upper hand
if something major like the disastrous
Battle of cannon savez didn't happen
thus we know something have had to have
happen for the Austrians to withdrew
from Kant's Abbas and we do know
something happened because few days
after at the start of October there was
an article about it in the real Isaiah
there were also other articles later
written about the battle but there were
very few and far apart but what they all
had in common was they all told a story
of some kind of a military blunder in
Karnes Abbas during that September now
that the actual battle happened exactly
as I presented it at the start of this
video no it did not the story changed
over time due to exaggerations by
soldiers fabrication by
countries to Austria multiple retellings
and sometimes just bad research power as
I mentioned before a true military
blunder did happen in cannabis but how
it exactly happened and to what extent
it happened we may most likely never
know
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