German general Hermann Balck notes the following incident in his memoirs detailing a portion of the German retreat from Russia:

The 371st Infantry Division was ordered to withdraw through the forested area to its rear, and to secure this difficult terrain forward of their own front lines. The heavily committed 1st Infantry Division, meanwhile, was supposed to break through south of the forested area and move toward us at night through open terrain. Against specific orders to avoid the forest, and without reporting this to us, they broke through the woods and managed to reach friendly lines. The morning after, the following reports came in:

371st Inf. Div: Strong Enemy forces struck the division's withdrawal movement. The division managed to reach the new positions without any loss in personnel or equipment. The enemy suffered heavy losses.

1st Infantry Division: The division broke through the forested area without losses against strong enemy resistance and is positioned along the designated line. The enemy suffered heavy losses."

In effect, both divisions encountered each other while retreating and, thinking that they had encountered the enemy, ended up in a friendly firefight, claiming that they had inflicted heavy casualties for no losses.

Balck proceeds to quote the German fable of two lions walking into a forest and tearing each other up in confusion, noting that for even well-trained troops, "even Homer is asleep sometimes."