Géraud François Gustave Réveilhac (16 February 1851 – 26 February 1937) was a French

général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He gained infamy for the Souain corporals affair in 1915 when four non-commissioned officers were executed as an example to other troops he commanded who had refused to attack a heavily-defended position on the Western Front. His actions were an inspiration for Humphrey Cobb's novel ''Paths of Glory''; the 1957 film of the same name was made by Stanley Kubrick.Military Directory of 1913 web.genealogie.free.fr
In 1916 he was relieved of front line duty. He was made a commander in the French reserves until the end of the war.

Early life and career

Born on 16 February 1851 in Aurillac,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Réveilhac went on to graduate from the Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in August 1870, as a sub-lieutenant. He became a prisoner of the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

ns in December the same year, but was released on 8 January the following year. He took part in putting down the

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

in Limoges in April 1871, garnering praise from his superiors. Réveilhac was subsequently regularly promoted, being sent to

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

to command a company in 1889, and was made

général de brigade Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

on 21 December 1909 as commanding officer of the 42nd Infantry Brigade. He was preparing for retirement by 1914 when

broke out.

World War I

At the beginning of

, Réveilhac was commanding the 119th Infantry Brigade, part of the 60th Infantry Division, under Général de division Maurice Joppé, whom he replaced on 25 September 1914 as commanding officer of the division. Réveilhac was promoted to acting

on 6 October 1914. ;Souain corporals affair In March 1915, after two attempts to take a strong German position near

Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. First World War On 9 December 1915 at Souain, a former battlefield with rough terrain and trenches, and in the presence of General Philippe Pétain, a ...

had failed, he ordered the 21st company of the 336th Infantry Regiment to make a bayonet charge against the position. But before the attack began, a preceding French barrage shelled their own side's trenches. Unscathed German machine guns quickly cut down the first wave. The remaining troops in the 21st company then refused to leave their trenches. On hearing this, Réveilhac ordered his divisional artillery to shell them in order to force them to attack. ''Les damnés de la guerre – Les crimes de la justice militaire (1914–1918)'' However, the artillery commander, Colonel Raoul Berube, refused to obey without a written order. Réveilhac did not issue one. After the assault's failure, Réveilhac quickly ordered that 24 men from the infantry units involved should be tried by a war tribunal. Although all of those men were inevitably sentenced to death for failing to obey the order to attack, 20 men were given stays of execution, while four othersall corporalswere executed by firing squad as an example to the entire regiment. One of those shot was Théophile Maupas, an exemplary soldier, who had simply been chosen by lot. ;Relieved of command Réveilhac continued to treat his men with scant regard. In another case he ordered his troops to relaunch an attack, asserting that the percentage of acceptable losses had not been reached for that day. In February 1916, he was relieved of duty and forced by the General Staff to take three months leave. According to a confidential letter from General Joffre, he "seem dto have arrived at the limit of his physical and intellectual capacity". On his return to active service he was given a command in the reserves for the rest of the war.

Post-war

At the end of the war, General Réveilhac was made Grand Officier of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

."Paris Muckraker"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''. 2 December 1935. He retired to his country estate in Nantes, and died in his bed on 26 February 1937.

Reputation

Réveilhac's actions in Souain were revealed in 1921 to much scandal, and he was condemned even in the military press. Réveilhac wrote a letter defending his actions, but it was censored by Minister of War

Louis Barthou Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the introduction (in Jul ...

who believed publishing it would only increase the considerable notoriety of the affair. The widow of Théophile Maupas, one of the corporals executed, fought to restore her husband's reputation, and was successful after nineteen years. Humphrey Cobb's 1935 novel ''Paths of Glory'' and Stanley Kubrick's 1957 film with the same title are partly based on these events.

References

External links

"Géraud-François-Gustave Reveilhac"

École supérieure de guerre The ''École supérieure de guerre'' ("Superior School of Warfare") was the most senior military education institute and staff college of the French Army, from 1876 until 1993, when it was merged into the inter-service ' (Joint Defense College), wh ...