General Inspector of the Armed Forces 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.
Second Polish Republic
| No. | Portrait | General Inspector | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piłsudski, JózefPierwszy Marszałek PolskiJózef Piłsudski(1867–1935) | 27 August 1926 | 12 May 1935 † | 8 years, 258 days | |
| 2 | Rydz-Śmigły, EdwardMarszałek PolskiEdward Rydz-Śmigły(1886–1941) | 12 May 1935 | 7 November 1939 | 4 years, 179 days |
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).
Polish government-in-exile
| No. | Portrait | General Inspector | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sikorski, Władysławgen. broniWładysław Sikorski(1881–1943) | 7 November 1939 | 4 July 1943 † | 3 years, 239 days | |
| 2 | Sosnkowski, Kazimierzgen. broniKazimierz Sosnkowski(1885–1969) | 8 July 1943 | 30 September 1944 | 1 year, 84 days | |
| 3 | Bór-Komorowski, Tadeuszgen.Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski(1895–1966)1 | 30 September 1944 | 2 October 1944 | 2 days | |
| – | Anders, Władysławgen. broniWładysław Anders(1892–1970)Acting | 2 October 1944 | 5 May 1945 | 215 days | |
| (3) | Bór-Komorowski, Tadeuszgen.Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski(1895–1966) | 5 May 1945 | 8 November 1946 | 1 year, 187 days | |
| 4 | Anders, Władysławgen. broniWładysław Anders(1892–1970) | 8 November 1946 | 1954 | 7–8 years | |
| 5 | Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski, Michałgen. broniMichał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski(1893–1964) | 1954 | 22 May 1964 † | 9–10 years | |
| 6 | Dembiński, Stefangen. dyw.Stefan Dembiński(1887–1972) | 1964 | 27 March 1972 † | 7–8 years | |
| 7 | Kopański, Stanisławgen. dyw.Stanisław Kopański(1895–1976) | 1972 | 23 March 1976 | 3–4 years | |
| 8 | Bohusz-Szyszko, Zygmuntgen. dyw.Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko(1893–1982) | 19 March 1976 | 19 February 1980 | 3 years, 337 days | |
| 9 | Duch, Bolesław Bronisławgen. 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.
See also
Notes
References
Commander of the Home Army, appointed as General Inspector during the Warsaw Uprising. /wiki/Home_Army ↩