General Inspector of the Armed Forces

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.

General Inspector of the Armed Forces
Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych
Flag of the GISZ
Longest serving Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski 1954 – 22 May 1964
Polish Armed Forces
Abbreviation	GISZ
Reports to	The President
Residence	Belweder Palace, Warsaw (Piłsudski)
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

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 Polski Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935)	27 August 1926	12 May 1935 †	8 years, 258 days
2		Rydz-Śmigły, EdwardMarszałek Polski Edward 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. broni Władysław Sikorski (1881–1943)	7 November 1939	4 July 1943 †	3 years, 239 days
2		Sosnkowski, Kazimierzgen. broni Kazimierz Sosnkowski (1885–1969)	8 July 1943	30 September 1944	1 year, 84 days
3		Bór-Komorowski, Tadeuszgen. Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966) [a]	30 September 1944	2 October 1944	2 days
–		Anders, Władysławgen. broni Władysław 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. broni Władysław Anders (1892–1970)	8 November 1946	1954	7–8 years
5		Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski, Michałgen. broni Michał 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

• Polish General Staff
• Ministry of National Defence (Poland)
• Captain general
• Inspector general

Notes

1. Commander of the Home Army, appointed as General Inspector during the Warsaw Uprising.