General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
. During the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers (; ; ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of French Third Republic, France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategy, milita ...
and during
Great Retreat
The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...
department, the son of Claude Alfred Sordet and Marguerite Marie de la Blanche. Sordet was commissioned into the 57th
Infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
arm. By August 1903, Sordet had been promoted to '' General de brigade'' and was given command of the 5th
Dragoon
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
Brigade, followed by command of 5th Cavalry Division in September 1907, 4th Cavalry Division in April 1910 and X Army Corps in May 1912. He was appointed a Knight of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
in July 1893, an Officer in July 1904 and a Commander in December 1912.
Reconnaissance into Belgium
In 1914, Sordet commanded the I Cavalry
Corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
, the French Commander-in-Chief, believed that the main German thrust would be towards
Verdun
Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
In 843, the Treaty of V ...
, but when Germany demanded passage of her troops through
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, he sent Sordet's corps into the Belgian
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
region to reconnoitre in force on 5 August.Krause 2014, pp. 11–12
The Germans attacked the outermost
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
forts on 5 August. Three cavalry divisions under Sordet were to enter south-eastern Belgium on 6 August to reconnoitre the area east of the
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
(
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
War Minister
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...
Messimy
Messimy () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Rhône department
The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of France. This list does not includes the L ...
had wanted to send five corps, but this suggestion did not meet with Joffre's approval). Between 5 and 8 August Sordet's corps searched the country east of the Meuse as far as Liège, covering in the last three days.Spears 1930, p. 102 They got within 9 miles of Liège, and also checked as far west as
Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
, only to find no evidence yet 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 prewar 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-gun fire from Jägers around the northern group of armies near Liège and
Namur
Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confl ...
and were unable to assess the size of the German force.Hastings 2013, pp. 164–5
The reconnaissance had been, in historian Ian Senior's view, too early as half a million German infantry were still backing up 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. 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
Givet () (; ) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France surrounded on three sides by the Belgian border.
It lies on the river Meuse where Emperor Charles V built the fortress of Charlemont. It borders the French municipali ...
and moved to a position northwest of
Dinant
Dinant () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south ...
.
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 in the saddle, 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
Charles Lanrezac (31 July 1852 – 18 January 1925) was a French general, formerly a distinguished staff college lecturer, who briefly commanded the French Fifth Army at the outbreak of the First World War.
His army, originally intended to stri ...
wanted him to gather tactical intelligence and was told by Joffre's deputy chief of staff
Henri Berthelot
Henri Mathias Berthelot (7 December 1861 – 29 January 1931) was a French general during World War I. He held an important staff position under Joseph Joffre, the French commander-in-chief, at the First Battle of the Marne, before later commandin ...
on 17 August that this took priority.Spears 1930, pp. 101–2 By 17 August, Liège having fallen, Sordet was ordered north of the
by Joffre in a condition described by historian Barbara W. Tuchman as "shoeless". He was ordered to move up to Namur and
Louvain
Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of ...
to make contact with the remnants of Belgian Army to attempt to dissuade them from falling back on
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
Luttre
Luttre (; ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Pont-Ã -Celles, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium, about 15 km north of Charleroi and 50 km south of Brussels along the Charleroi-Brussels Canal, rai ...
and
Pont-Ã -Celles
Pont-Ã -Celles (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
On January 1, 2018, Pont-Ã -Celles had a total population of 17,287. The total area is 55.73 km2 which gives a population density of 310 inhabita ...
French Fifth Army
The Fifth Army () was a fighting force that participated in World War I.
On 29 August the 5th Army under Lanrezac won a partial victory at the battle of Guise, delaying the German attack. However, Lanrezac became dispirited and was replaced by ...
during the
Battle of Charleroi
The Battle of Charleroi () or the Battle of the Sambre, was fought on 21 August 1914, by the French Fifth Army and the German 2nd and 3rd armies, during the Battle of the Frontiers. The French were planning an attack across the Sambre River, when ...
(21-3 August) and the
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (World War I), British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies of World W ...
(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 an enemy corps – between Fifth Army's left and the right of the BEF. Together with the news which reached him at noon next day that Belgian 4th Division were evacuating Namur, this helped decide Lanrezac to pull back from his position at Charleroi.
Sordet telegraphed to Lanrezac at 8 pm on the 23rd that
Sir John French
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, (28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer.
Born in Kent, ...
, commander-in-chief of the BEF, was pulling back to the
Bavai
Bavay () is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town was the seat of the former canton of Bavay.
Geography
Bavay is located some 20 km east by south-east of Valenciennes and 10 k ...
-
Maubeuge
Maubeuge (; historical or ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France.
It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), east of Valenciennes and ab ...
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 ismission on its left".
Edward Spears
Major-General Sir Edward Louis Spears, 1st Baronet, (7 August 1886 – 27 January 1974) was a British Army officer and politician. He served as a liaison officer between British and French forces during both World Wars. From 1917 to 1920, he ...
argued that this may have been the source for the "legend" that Lanrezac pulled back because the BEF was doing so. He wrote that in fact Lanrezac pulled back before receiving the message and answering it at 11.30pm.
Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Wertheim Tuchman (; January 30, 1912 – February 6, 1989) was an American historian, journalist and author. She won the Pulitzer Prize twice, for '' The Guns of August'' (1962), a best-selling history of the prelude to and the first mo ...
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.
Le Cateau
Sir John French, worried at being cut off from the English Channel, visited Sordet at
Avesnes
Avesnes (, Picard: ''Avinne'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.
Geography
The commune is a very small village situated some 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the D 129 E 1.
Population
...
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. Sir John asked Sordet to cover the British left, but Sordet initially asked to consult his own chain of command first. 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 Snow, commander of British 4th Division, later cited as evidence that Sordet is unlikely to have done much during the
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on the Western Front during the First World War on 26 August 1914. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army had retreated after their defeats at the Battle of Charleroi (21–23 A ...
.Snow & Pottle 2011, pp. 29–32 At 10am 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
Landrecies (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
History
In 1543, Landrecies was besieged by English and Imperial forces, who were repulsed by the French defenders. In 1794, it was besieged by Dutch forces, who capt ...
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.
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 Army 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 the 24th. 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
In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open, the opposing military will ...
.
On Tuesday 25 August the Cavalry Corps marched westward behind the BEF retreat, to the south of
Esnes
Esnes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Heraldry
Monuments
*Castle
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic.
The comm ...
where British 12th Brigade was. That day 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. That night Sordet's forces passed behind the British forces and caused a delay of an hour until 1am in the pullback of British II Corps. Sordet's corps was bivouacked between Walincourt and Esnes on the night of 25/6 "wet through and the horses dead beat".
At the
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on the Western Front during the First World War on 26 August 1914. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army had retreated after their defeats at the Battle of Charleroi (21–23 A ...
Snow was highly critical of Sordet's conduct at Le Cateau, believing that he never intended to do more than demonstrate, but that the French Territorials and artillery on the left had helped protect the British flank. Snow wrote that there were not enough Germans to attempt to turn the British left flank until 3pm when 4th Division was already beginning to withdraw. Snow thought the guns which were heard that afternoon were more likely to belong to the Cambrai garrison. Snow also wrote that Sordet's guns opened fire at 6.30pm. Snow was wrong about this; in fact this was the time when Sordet ''broke off'' against German IV Reserve Corps, and his forces undoubtedly helped 4th Division to withdraw.Snow & Pottle 2011, p. 61Smith-Dorrien, the commander of British II Corps, thanked Sordet in his Order of the Day (29 August). In that document he wrote of the French on his left, especially the Territorials who had been engaging German troops further west, that "otherwise it is almost certain we should have had another corps against us on the 26th". However, Smith-Dorrien called the relevant chapter in his memoirs "Sordet's Tardy Help".
In his original despatch (7 September) Sir John French wrote that Sordet gave no help and, according to General Snow, censured him. This was an exaggeration by Snow: in fact Sir John wrote that he sent Sordet an urgent message to support the retirement of the British left flank, but that Sordet was unable to intervene owing to the fatigue of his horses. But in his unreliable memoirs ''1914'' Sir John gave credit to Sordet, claiming that he had been ignorant of the assistance rendered by Sordet and d'Amade, and implying that Smith-Dorrien had misled him. By then Sir John was keen to praise everybody ''but'' Smith-Dorrien, against whom he bore a grudge.
Retreat and dismissal
On 27 August, GQG, which had again briefly lost contact with Sordet, ordered him to cover British left until the BEF had crossed the
Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
* Somme, Queensland, Australia
* Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), ...
until given further orders. Snow later wrote that the only time he ever saw "the great Sordet and his cavalry" during the retreat was on 27 August, when he saw several squadrons to the British left. The forces exchanged stirring messages via Colonel Edmonds, only for the French cavalry to withdraw immediately under shrapnel fire.
Sordet, whose corps was by now incapable of fighting as a whole, formed a Provisional Cavalry Division under General Cornulier-Luciniere from the regiments which were still mobile, and placed it for two days at the disposal of
Michel-Joseph Maunoury
Michel-Joseph Maunoury (; 17 December 1847 – 28 March 1923) was a commander of the French forces in the early days of World War I who was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France.
Initially commanding in Lorraine, as the ...
, commander of the Sixth Army. Maunoury was able to fall back behind the River Avre (29 August) because of the Battle of Guise.
Sordet was under Maunoury's Sixth Army from 30 August to 1 September.Spears 1930, p. 373 Captain Lepic of Sordet's corps, reconnoitring northwest of
Uhlan
Uhlan (; ; ; ; ) is a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. The uhlans started as Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, Lithuanian irregular cavalry, that were later also adopted by other countries during the 18th century, including Polis ...
s, some of whom had discarded their helmets, were wearing cloth caps and were pretending to be ''"Englisch"'') followed by an infantry column 15 minutes later. They were not making south for Paris but rather south-east for Compiègne, the beginning of von Kluck's great turning movement east of Paris.
Sordet was then under the direct command of
Joseph Gallieni
Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) was a French military officer, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies where he wrote several books on colonial affairs.
He was rec ...
,
Military governor of Paris
The military governor of Paris is a post within the French Army. He commands the garrison of Paris and represents all the military based in Paris at high state occasions. He is also responsible (subordinate to the President of France) for organiz ...
, from 1 September to 4 September. He crossed the
Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
between
Mantes
Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, f ...
and
Melun
Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the ÃŽle-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, ...
on 3 September. He was then again placed under the command of Sixth Army from 5 September, and was ordered to collect his troops together by 7 September in the region of
Longjumeau
Longjumeau () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne department, France. It is located south from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Inhabitants of Longjumeau are known as ''Longjumellois'' () in French.
History
Longjumeau Party Sch ...
-
Brunoy
Brunoy () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The tenor Louis Nourrit (1780–1831) died in Brunoy.
The city has a church Saint-Medard, richly decorated in the Lo ...
, whilst the Provisional Cavalry Division moved east of Paris. In the space of a month, the corps had covered close to .Briastre 2013, pp. 35–36
On 8 September, during the Battle of the Ourcq (part of the
First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...
), Sordet tried to envelop the northern flank of von Kluck's German First Army via the Bargny Plateau. His three divisions left their bivouacs around
Nanteuil-le-Haudouin
Nanteuil-le-Haudouin () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.
Population
In popular culture
The town was shown in a map of France in the movie Inglourious Basterds and credited as the fictional town of "Nadine".
See also
...
Vendrest
Vendrest is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Vendrest are called ''Vendrestois''.
See also
...
.
Sordet was one of fifty one French
general officer
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
s who were relieved of their commands by Joffre in the first weeks of the war. Many were posted to the provincial garrison town of
Limoges
Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...
, and the verb ''
limoger
Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated on the first western foothills of the Mas ...
'' as a result still means "to be dismissed" in French; however, Sordet was appointed Inspector-General of Cavalry Depots with an office initially in Orleans and by April 1916, in Paris. He was retired from active service in February 1917 and posted to the reserve in April 1917. (in French)
music critic
'' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...
under the
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
"Dominique Sordet"; in 1937, Dominique founded and ran the
right wing
Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...
news agency
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency ma ...
Action Française
''Action Française'' (, AF; ) is a French far-right monarchist and nationalist political movement. The name was also given to a journal associated with the movement, '' L'Action Française'', sold by its own youth organization, the Camelot ...
'' French nationalist journal.. Sordet relaunched ''Inter-France'' in Vichy and then in Paris with the agreement of the occupying authorities.").
In retirement, General Sordet co-wrote, with Marcel Victor Auguste Boucherie, a history of his command in 1914, entitled ''Historique du Corps de Cavalerie Sordet'', which was published in 1923. He died on 28 July 1923.