General Jean-François André Sordet (17 May 1852 – 28 July 1923) was a senior officer of the French Army. During the First World War his cavalry corps operated close to the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of the Frontiers and during Great Retreat of August 1914.
Early career Born on 17 May 1852 at Saint-Germain-du-Plain in the Saône-et-Loire department, the son of Claude Alfred Sordet and Marguerite Marie de la Blanche. Sordet was commissioned into the 57th Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant in November 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. In September 1871, he attended the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr and specialised in the cavalry arm. By August 1903, Sordet had been promoted to General de brigade and was given command of the 5th Dragoon Brigade,Dossier p. 34 of 51 followed by command of 5th Cavalry Division in September 1907, 4th Cavalry Division in April 1910 and X Army Corps in May 1912.Dossier p. 20 of 51 He was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour in July 1893, an Officer in July 1904 and a Commander in December 1912.Dossier p. 1 of 51
Reconnaissance into Belgium In 1914, Sordet commanded the I Cavalry Corps. General Joseph Joffre, the French Commander-in-Chief, believed that the main German thrust would be towards Verdun, but when Germany demanded passage of her troops through Belgium, he sent Sordet into the Belgian Ardennes region to reconnoitre in force on 5 August.Krause 2014, pp. 11–12
The Germans attacked the outermost Liège forts on 5 August. Sordet, with three cavalry divisions, were to enter south-eastern Belgium on 6 August to reconnoitre the area east of the Meuse (President Poincaré and War Minister Messimy had wanted to send five corps, but this suggestion did not meet with Joffre's approval).Tuchman 1962, p. 176 Between 5 and 8 August the cavalry searched the country east of the Meuse as far as Liège, covering in the last three days.Spears 1930, p. 102 They got within of Liège, and also checked as far west as Charleroi, only to find no evidence of the Germans crossing the Meuse in order to march west through Belgium. Far from the opening weeks of war being marked by a "clash of cavalry" as predicted by pre-war theorists, Sordet's three divisions failed to find any German troops until 8 August, when they encountered a security screen of German cavalry and machine-guns from Jägers around the northern group of armies near Liège and Namur and were unable to assess the size of the German force.Tuchman 1962, pp. 187–8Hastings 2013, pp. 164–5
The reconnaissance had been too early as half a million German infantry were still backed up on the roads from Germany. After an exhausting march in August heat with little water, Sordet's men were back roughly where they had started by 10 August.Senior 2012, p. 68 After a rest on 10 August Sordet's forces were in constant movement between 11 and 18 August. The Germans crossed the Meuse on 15 August, the first sign that they were coming further west than Joffre had anticipated. Sordet had been on the eastern side of the river. He made a brief attempt to attack the Germans from the south, but then crossed to the west bank at Givet and moved to a position northwest of Dinant.Spears 1930, p. 53
Sordet's men often covered per day, and at one point in August the 9th Cuirassiers covered in 48 hours. Unlike British cavalry who were trained to conserve their horses' strength by leading them whenever possible, French cavalry remained mounted, causing saddle sores and the loss of many horses from exhaustion. Sordet's men had covered distances which, as Spears put it, "would have taxed even British cavalry", and yet he was under pressure to fulfil different roles. Sir John French wanted him to cover the assembly of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), whereas Charles Lanrezac wanted him to gather tactical intelligence and was told by Joffre's deputy chief of staff Henri Berthelot on 17 August that this took priority.Spears 1930, pp. 101–102 By 17 August, Liège having fallen, Sordet was ordered north of the Sambre by Joffre in a condition described by historian Barbara W. Tuchman as "shoeless". He was ordered to move up to Namur and Louvain to make contact with the remnants of Belgian Army to attempt to dissuade them from falling back on Antwerp. Grand Quartier Général (GQG) staff were unfairly angered at Sordet's "dilatoriness", even though his horses were too tired to do more than walk.Tuchman 1962, p. 242 Lanrezac demanded to Joffre on morning of 18 August that he have use of Sordet's corps.Spears 1930, p. 93
Sordet's forces had now had a chance to recover their strength and he reported that he would be ready to move again on 22 August. He asked permission to operate north of the Sambre against the Germans who were reported to be marching west against the British. Lanrezac lent the 11th Infantry Brigade (part of III Corps), but on 21 August Sordet's men were pushed out of Luttre and Pont-à-Celles, crossings on the Charleroi Canal north of the Sambre.Spears 1930, pp. 130–131
Order of battle of Sordet's Cavalry Corps I Cavalry Corps: August 1914Senior 2012, pp. 347–348 1st Cavalry Division (General Buisson) 5th Dragoon Brigade (General Silvestre) 6th Dragoon Regiment 23rd Dragoon Regiment 2nd Cuirassier Brigade (General Louvat) 1st Cuirassier Regiment 2nd Cuirassier Regiment 11th Dragoon Brigade (General Corvisart) 27th Dragoon Regiment 32nd Dragoon Regiment 3rd Cavalry Division (General de Lastours) 3rd Light Brigade (General de la Villestreux) 3rd Hussar Regiment 8th Hussar Regiment 13th Dragoon Brigade (General Leorat) 5th Dragoon Regiment 21st Dragoon Regiment 4th Cuirassier Brigade (General Gouzil) 4th Cuirassier Regiment 9th Cuirassier Regiment 5th Cavalry Division (General Bridoux) 5th Light Brigade (General Cornulier-Lucinière) 5th Chasseur Regiment 15th Chasseur Regiment 3rd Dragoon Brigade (General Lallemand du Marais) 13th Dragoon Regiment 22nd Dragoon Regiment 7th Dragoon Brigade (General de Marcieux) 9th Dragoon Regiment 29th Dragoon Regiment
Charleroi and Mons
On retiring, the corps was attached to the Fifth Army during the Battle of Charleroi (21–23 August) and the Battle of Mons (23 August). By the end of 22 August, Lanrezac, commander of the Fifth Army, reported that Sordet's corps was "greatly exhausted" and that it had had to pull back, helping to open a gap of – enough for a German corps – between Fifth Army's left and the right of the BEF. Together with the news which reached him at noon next day that the 4th Belgian Division was evacuating Namur, this helped decide Lanrezac to pull back from his position at Charleroi.Tuchman 1962, pp. 272–3
Sordet telegraphed to Lanrezac at 8:00 p.m. on 23 August that Sir John French was pulling back to the Bavai–Maubeuge line (in fact this was a slight misunderstanding, as he was just making inquiries about the possibility of doing so) and asked if he should "keep to [his] mission on its left". Edward Spears argued that this may have been the source for the "legend" that Lanrezac pulled back because the BEF was doing so. He wrote that Lanrezac pulled back before receiving the message and answering it at 11:30 p.m.Spears 1930, pp. 172–173 Barbara Tuchman disagreed, citing Lanrezac's later claim that he had "received confirmation" of Sordet's message. She also scoffed at Spears' claim that "no evidence" had been found to link Lanrezac's retreat to concern about the British retreat, observing that Messimy testified at the postwar Briey hearings that there were 25 to 30 million relevant documents for the period in the archives.Tuchman 1962, p. 466
Le Cateau
Sir John French, worried at being cut off from the English Channel, visited Sordet at Avesnes on 24 August, and was informed that the Allied west flank was being defended by Territorial Army forces (reservists aged between 35 and 48) under Albert d'Amade at Arras and by the Lille garrison.Smithers 1970, p. 179 Sir John asked Sordet to cover the British left, but Sordet initially asked to consult his own chain of command first.Cassar 1985, p. 116 Sordet told Sir John that his horses were too tired to move, but he actually moved a long distance afterwards, a fact which Major-General Thomas Snow, commander of 4th Division, later cited as evidence that Sordet is unlikely to have done much during the Battle of Le Cateau.Snow & Pottle 2011, pp. 29–32 At 10:00 a.m. on 24 August Lanrezac, concerned that Sir John French might be falling back on his lines of communication and away from the French forces, ordered Sordet to fall back on Landrecies on the next day, between the BEF and the Fifth Army. Lanrezac changed his mind an hour or so later and ordered Sordet to fall back to the BEF left as previously ordered.Spears 1930, p. 190
Later that day Lanrezac was informed that Joffre had taken direct command of Sordet with effect from 25 August, although GQG were not clear where he was. He brought his exhausted horses round the back of British and, in Spears' description, "that splendid little soldier never got rattled in the welter of contradictory orders he received", appearing on the British left on the evening of 24 August.Spears 1930, p 190. Spears does not say whether this refers to Sordet or some or all of his forces. Other accounts have Sordet's forces moving behind the British rear on the night of 25/26 August Joffre wanted Sordet to reinforce d'Amade's three Territorial divisions and the Lille garrison, which was now free to deploy after Lille had been declared an open city.Tuchman 1962, p. 345
On Tuesday 25 August, the I Cavalry Corps marched westward behind the BEF retreat, to the south of Esnes where British 12th Brigade was.Snow & Pottle 2011, p.57 That day, the War Minister, Messimy, complained to Joffre that German cavalry were running amok in Belgium and that "Sordet, who has had very little fighting, is asleep. This is inadmissible". This was unfair criticism from a man who was soon to be forced to resign.Spears 1930, p. 221 That night Sordet's forces passed behind the British forces and caused a delay of an hour until 1am in the pullback of II Corps.Smithers 1970, p. 181 Sordet's corps was bivouacked between Walincourt and Esnes on the night of 25/26 August "wet through and the horses dead beat".
At the Battle of Le Cateau (26 August) Sordet's men were deployed on the British left. Sordet moved off south very early on 26 August. The 1st Cavalry Division moved to Villers-Guilain, south of Cambrai and the same distance from the 4th Division's left; it later moved forward to Cambrai. Sordet only moved up after receiving a message from Joffre timed 1:00 p.m. ordering him not just to cover the British left flank but "to intervene in the battle with all the forces at [his] disposal".Snow & Pottle 2011, p. 60 Spears wrote that after a march of the previous day Sordet's artillery and cyclists attacked the flank of German forces attacking the 4th Division, using their 75mm guns.Spears 1930, p. 237Smithers 1970, p. 200Hastings 2013, p. 236 Sordet's artillery fought from Séranvillers and Florenville south of Cambrai.Spears 1930, p. 529 Smith-Dorrien heard Sordet's guns around 4.30pm. Sordet's action helped the 4th Division to pull away that night.Cassar 1985, pp. 122–4 The liaison officer Victor Huguet gave Sordet even greater praise on 28 August, claiming that he had helped the II (British) Corps to withdraw.
British Generals' views of Sordet at Le Cateau