General Inspector of the Armed Forces

Flag of the GISZ

General Inspector of the Armed Forces (Polish: Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych; GISZ) was an office created in Poland 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 of the Armed Forces (1926–1980)

#NameImageBorn–DiedRankStartEndNote
1 Józef Piłsudski 1867–1935 Marshal of Poland August 27, 1926 May 12, 1935 Died in office
2 Edward Rydz-Śmigły 1886–1941 Marshal of Poland May 12, 1935 November 7, 1939 [nb 1]
3 Władysław Sikorski 1881–1943 Lt. General November 7, 1939 July 4, 1943 Died in an airplane crash
4 Kazimierz Sosnkowski 1885–1969 Lt. General July 8, 1943 September 30, 1944
5 Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski 1895–1966 Generał September 30, 1944 October 2, 1944 1st Term
Władysław Anders 1892–1970 Lt. General October 2, 1944 May 5, 1945 1st Term. Acting General Inspector of the Armed Forces
6 Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski 1895–1966 Generał May 5, 1945 November 8, 1946 2nd Term
7 Władysław Anders 1892–1970 Lt. General November 8, 1946 1954 2nd Term
8 Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski 1893–1964 Lt. General 1954 May 22, 1964 Died in office
9 Stefan Dembiński 1887–1972 Divisional General 1964 March 27, 1972 Died in office
10 Stanisław Kopański 1895–1976 Divisional General 1972 March 23, 1976 Died in office
11 Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko 1893–1982 Divisional General March 19, 1976 February 18, 1980
12 Bolesław Bronisław Duch 1885–1980 Divisional General February 19, 1980 October 9, 1980 [nb 2]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ After Rydz-Śmigły went into exile on September 18, 1939, all General Inspectors were in exile (and increasingly connected with educational activities such as cooperation with the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum).
  2. ↑ After Duch's death, in place of the GISZ, a Military Council was created, led by Major General Klemens Rudnicki.
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