An “Own Goal” for the Austrian Army in 1788
Disaster at Karansebes
The Austrian Emperor Joseph II had lived for too long in the shadow of the Prussian king, Frederick the Great, and by 1788 he was determined to achieve a great military success for himself. Although in a pitiful state of health, with a weak heart, varicose veins, and a dry, hacking cough, he decided to lead an army against the Turks in Transylvania. Driven by a desperate urge to succeed and calling himself the “avenger of mankind”, he declared he was going to “cleanse the world of a race of barbarians”.
The campaign began badly when Joseph decided, against the best local advice, to camp in a malarial area near Belgrade. In the space of six months 172,000 of his troops fell ill with the disease and 33,000 died.
Joseph worked frenziedly to prepare his troops for the campaign ahead. Rarely able to keep down any food himself and drinking just a little water, he resembled a living corpse rather than a man. Then news arrived that the Turkish army, under the Grand Vizier, was moving towards him. Joseph immediately decided to take half his force and seek battle. Near the town of Karansebes he got his wish — but not quite in the way he expected.
With the Turkish army still some distance away, the Austrian columns were marching in good order, flanked by regiments…