This battle took place on the evening of September 17, 1788; In fact, it ended with conflicts between Austrian soldiers, not within the Ottoman Empire. Emperor II himself. The number of Austrian soldiers under Josef’s command was also much higher than the Ottoman troops. However, an interesting situation occurred.
This war was reflected in history books as the strangest and easiest war won by the Ottoman Empire.
The Battle of Şebeş took place between the Ottoman Empire and Austria.
The wars between the Ottoman Empire and Austria continued for many years. This war was one of them. During the Battle of Şebeş, the Austrian army of approximately 100,000 people camped near Karansebes Town and waited for the Ottoman soldiers, some of them crossed the river to look for Ottoman soldiers. However, at that time, a gypsy convoy they encountered offered to sell barrels of alcohol to the soldiers. This offer attracted the attention of the soldiers, and it is said that the journey they set out to find Ottoman soldiers suddenly turned into unexpected fun.
The rest of the army becomes worried when the team does not return, and some of them set out to search for the soldiers. The infantry team, which eventually comes across the soldiers, finds themselves at a drinking party. They prefer to participate in this joyful atmosphere, forgetting the war and the atmosphere. Hussars (first soldiers), a light cavalry class that had fun with alcohol barrels, did not want to give the barrels to the second military team and surrounded them tightly to protect the alcohol. It is said that during the clash that broke out in the argument, some infantrymen shouted “Turciiii Turciiii” to scare the Hussars. This is where the ropes break.
The hussars start to run away, thinking that the Turks are really coming.
However, the other infantrymen, who do not understand that this tactic is a method of intimidation, begin to flee. The fact that the Austrian army consists of various minority groups also creates some communication problems. The situation becomes even more complicated because the soldiers do not understand each other. When Austrian officers see soldiers running away, they shout “Halt Halt” in German, but soldiers who do not speak German understand this as “Allah Allah”. As you can see, things have turned into Arabic hair.
Communication confusion makes things even more complicated. Realizing that the cavalry was rapidly approaching the camp, a unit commander suddenly panicked and ordered the artillery to fire, thinking that they were under attack by the Ottoman army. The soldiers, who hear the sound of the clash caused by this instant decision, begin to run away without understanding what is happening.
They shoot at their own soldiers, mistaking them for Ottoman soldiers. The Austrian army, not understanding what is happening in this chaotic situation, begins to kill its own army. Archduke II, Emperor of Austria. Joseph also suffers a serious injury when he loses his balance on the horse and falls.
Unaware of the events, the Ottoman army arrived at the battlefield two days later, but what happened happened.
The Ottoman army, which encountered nearly 10,000 dead and wounded in Karanşebeş, easily captured the city in the surprise of the incident. This war continues to be remembered as one of the strange events unprecedented in history. Even though the Ottoman Empire participated in the war with a very small number of soldiers, it defeated the Austrian army without even shedding any blood.
Considering the strategy and number of soldiers considered to win the war, it was almost impossible for such an event to occur, but this war not only enabled the Ottoman Empire to capture a key region but also provided a suitable opportunity for them to advance in Europe. In addition, they have opened their way to Hungary, which is among their next targets.
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