André Sordet

Jean François André Sordet
Jean-François André Sordet
Born	17 May 1852 Saint-Germain-du-Plain, Saône-et-Loire, France
Died	28 July 1923(1923-07-28) (aged 71)
Allegiance	France
Years of service	1870–1916
Rank	Général de Division
Commands held	5th Dragoon Division 10th Army Corps 1st Cavalry Corps
Battles/wars	Franco-Prussian War World War I, Battle of the Frontiers
Awards	Commander of the Légion d'honneur
Other work	Inspector General of Cavalry Depots

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 in close proximity to the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of the Frontiers and during Great Retreat of August 1914 .

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, 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 in July 1893, an Officer in July 1904 and a Commander in December 1912.

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's corps into the Belgian Ardennes region to reconnoitre in force on 5 August.