During the Austro-Turkish War of 1787–1791, the Austrian army set up camp near the town of Karánsebes. A vanguard of hussars crossed the Timiș River to scout for Ottoman forces. Finding no Turks, they instead encountered a group of Romani traders who sold them schnapps.
Soon, a group of infantrymen crossed the river and demanded a share of the alcohol. The hussars refused and constructed makeshift fortifications around the barrels. Tensions escalated, and a fired shot ignited a brawl.
Amidst the chaos, someone shouted 'Turci! Turci!' (Turks!
Turks! ). Panicked hussars fled back across the river into the main camp.
Seeing the galloping cavalry in the dark, artillery commanders believed the Ottoman cavalry was charging and opened fire. As multilingual soldiers shouted commands in German, Italian, and Slavic tongues, misunderstandings multiplied; officers shouting 'Halt! Halt!'
were misheard as shouting 'Allah! Allah!' The entire army dissolved into mass friendly fire, fleeing in terror.
When the Ottoman army arrived two days later, they discovered thousands of dead and wounded Austrian soldiers without having fired a single shot.