General Inspector of the Armed Forces
| General Inspector of the Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych | |
Flag of the GISZ | |
| Polish Armed Forces | |
| Abbreviation | GISZ |
| Reports to | The president |
| Residence | Belweder Palace (Piłsudski[1]) |
| Seat | Warsaw |
| Appointer | The president |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | 27 August 1926 |
| First holder | Józef Piłsudski |
| Final holder | Bolesław Bronisław Duch |
| Abolished | 9 October 1980 |
| Succession | Military Council |
General Inspector of the Armed Forces (Polish: Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych; GISZ) was an office created in the Second Polish Republic in 1926, after the May Coup.
The general inspector reported directly to the president, and was not responsible to the Sejm (parliament) or the government. In the event of war, the general inspector was to become the commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces.
Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and the post-war establishment of the Polish People's Republic, the position was retained by the Polish government-in-exile until 1980.
List of general inspectors
† denotes people who died in office.
| No. | Portrait | General Inspector | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierwszy Marszałek Polski Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935) | 27 August 1926 | 12 May 1935 † | 8 years, 258 days | [2][3] | |
| 2 | Marszałek Polski Edward Rydz-Śmigły (1886–1941) | 12 May 1935 | 7 November 1939 | 4 years, 179 days | [4] |
Rydz-Śmigły went into exile on 18 September 1939, during the German invasion of Poland. Afterwards, all general inspectors were in exile (and increasingly connected with educational activities such as cooperation with the London-based Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum).
| No. | Portrait | General Inspector | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gen. broni Władysław Sikorski (1881–1943) | 7 November 1939 | 4 July 1943 † | 3 years, 239 days | [5] | |
| 2 | gen. broni Kazimierz Sosnkowski (1885–1969) | 8 July 1943 | 30 September 1944 | 1 year, 84 days | – | |
| 3 | gen. Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966) [a] | 30 September 1944 | 2 October 1944 | 2 days | – | |
| – | gen. broni Władysław Anders (1892–1970) Acting | 2 October 1944 | 5 May 1945 | 215 days | – | |
| (3) | gen. Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966) | 5 May 1945 | 8 November 1946 | 1 year, 187 days | – | |
| 4 | gen. broni Władysław Anders (1892–1970) | 8 November 1946 | 1954 | 7–8 years | – | |
| 5 | gen. broni Michał Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz (1893–1964) | 1954 | 22 May 1964 † | 9–10 years | – | |
| 6 | gen. dyw. Stefan Dembiński (1887–1972) | 1964 | 27 March 1972 † | 7–8 years | – | |
| 7 | gen. dyw. Stanisław Kopański (1895–1976) | 1972 | 23 March 1976 | 3–4 years | – | |
| 8 | gen. dyw. Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko (1893–1982) | 19 March 1976 | 19 February 1980 | 3 years, 337 days | – | |
| 9 | gen. dyw. Bolesław Bronisław Duch (1885–1980) | 19 February 1980 | 9 October 1980 † | 233 days | – |
Duch died on 9 October 1980. Afterwards, in place of the GISZ, a Military Council was created, led by gen. bryg. Klemens Rudnicki.
Timeline
See also
- Polish General Staff
- Ministry of National Defence (Poland)
- Józef Piłsudski's cult of personality
- Edward Rydz-Śmigły's cult of personality
- Captain general
- Inspector general
Notes
- ^ Commander of the Home Army, appointed as General Inspector during the Warsaw Uprising.
References
- ^ "Pilsudski Assumes Full Dictatorship". The New York Times. 4 July 1926. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ "Pilsudski Sets Up Dictatorship Rule With Polish Army". The New York Times. 14 June 1926. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Jerzy Szapiro (13 May 1935). "Marshal Pilsudski Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ Jerzy Szapiro (17 November 1935). "Hail Rydz-Smigly As Pilsudski's Heir". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ Raymond Daniell (6 July 1943). "Sikorski Is Killed In Airplane Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2025.