View source for General Inspector of the Armed Forces

{{Expand Polish|Generalny Inspektorat Sił Zbrojnych|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                    = General Inspector
| body                    = the Armed Forces
| native_name             = {{lang|pl|Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych}}
| insignia                = 
| insigniasize            = 
| insigniacaption         = 
| flag                    = Flaga Generalnego Inspektora Sił Zbrojnych.svg
| flagsize                = 
| flagborder              = yes
| flagcaption             = Flag of the GISZ
| image                   = M. Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski.jpg
| imagesize               = 
| alt                     = 
| imagecaption            = '''Longest serving<br>[[Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski]]'''<br>1954 – 22 May 1964
| department              = [[Polish Armed Forces]]
| style                   = 
| type                    = 
| status                  = 
| abbreviation            = GISZ
| member_of               = 
| reports_to              = The [[President of Poland|president]]
| residence               = [[Belweder|Belweder Palace]], [[Warsaw]]<br />{{small|(Piłsudski)}}
| seat                    = 
| nominator               = 
| appointer               = The president
| appointer_qualified     = 
| termlength              = No fixed term
| termlength_qualified    = 
| constituting_instrument = 
| precursor               = 
| formation               = 27 August 1926
| first                   = [[Józef Piłsudski]]
| last                    = [[Bolesław Bronisław Duch]]
| abolished               = 9 October 1980
| succession              = Military Council
| unofficial_names        = 
| deputy                  = 
| salary                  = 
| website                 = 
}}

'''General Inspector of the Armed Forces''' ({{langx|pl|'''G'''eneralny '''I'''nspektor '''S'''ił '''Z'''brojnych; '''GISZ'''}}) was an office created in the [[Second Polish Republic]] in 1926, after the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup]].

The general inspector reported directly to the [[President of Poland|president]], and was not responsible to the ''[[Sejm]]'' (parliament) or the [[Government of Poland|government]]. In the event of war, the general inspector was to become the [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Polish Armed Forces]].

Following the [[Nazi Germany|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]]===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = General Inspector
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Jozef Pilsudski1.jpg
| military_rank     = Pierwszy Marszałek Polski
| officeholder      = [[Józef Piłsudski]]
| officeholder_sort = Piłsudski, Józef
| born_year         = 1867
| died_year         = 1935
| died              = y
| term_start        = 27 August 1926
| term_end          = 12 May 1935
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1926|08|27|1935|05|12}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Marshal Rydz-Smigly LOC hec 27123.jpg
| military_rank     = Marszałek Polski
| officeholder      = [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły]]
| officeholder_sort = Rydz-Śmigły, Edward
| born_year         = 1886
| died_year         = 1941
| term_start        = 12 May 1935
| term_end          = 7 November 1939
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1935|05|12|1939|11|07}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

''Rydz-Śmigły went into exile on 18 September 1939, during the [[Nazi Germany|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]]===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = General Inspector
| showtermlenght     = y
| showparty          = n
| showdefencebranch  = n
| showref            = n
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 1
| image             = Sikor.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. broni
| officeholder      = [[Władysław Sikorski]]
| officeholder_sort = Sikorski, Władysław
| born_year         = 1881
| died_year         = 1943
| died              = y
| term_start        = 7 November 1939
| term_end          = [[1943 Gibraltar Liberator AL523 crash|4 July 1943]]
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1939|11|07|1943|07|04}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 2
| image             = Sosnkowski Kazimierz.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. broni
| officeholder      = [[Kazimierz Sosnkowski]]
| officeholder_sort = Sosnkowski, Kazimierz
| born_year         = 1885
| died_year         = 1969
| term_start        = 8 July 1943
| term_end          = 30 September 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1943|07|08|1944|09|30}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 3
| image             = Tadeusz Bor Komorowski.jpg
| military_rank     = gen.
| officeholder      = [[Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski]]
| officeholder_sort = Bór-Komorowski, Tadeusz
| officeholder_note = {{efn|Commander of the [[Home Army]], appointed as General Inspector during the [[Warsaw Uprising]].}}
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1966
| term_start        = 30 September 1944
| term_end          = 2 October 1944
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|09|30|1944|10|02}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = –
| image             = Wladyslaw Anders.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. broni
| officeholder      = [[Władysław Anders]]
| officeholder_sort = Anders, Władysław
| born_year         = 1892
| died_year         = 1970
| term_start        = 2 October 1944
| term_end          = 5 May 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1944|10|02|1945|05|05}}
| acting            = y
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = (3)
| image             = Tadeusz Bor Komorowski.jpg
| military_rank     = gen.
| officeholder      = [[Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski]]
| officeholder_sort = Bór-Komorowski, Tadeusz
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1966
| term_start        = 5 May 1945
| term_end          = 8 November 1946
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1945|05|05|1946|11|08}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 4
| image             = Wladyslaw Anders.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. broni
| officeholder      = [[Władysław Anders]]
| officeholder_sort = Anders, Władysław
| born_year         = 1892
| died_year         = 1970
| term_start        = 8 November 1946
| term_end          = 1954
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1946|1954}} years
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 5
| image             = M. Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. broni
| officeholder      = [[Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski]]
| officeholder_sort = Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski, Michał
| born_year         = 1893
| died_year         = 1964
| died              = y
| term_start        = 1954
| term_end          = 22 May 1964
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1954|1964}} years
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 6
| image             = Stefan Jacek Dembiński (generał brygady).jpg
| military_rank     = gen. dyw.
| officeholder      = [[Stefan Dembiński]]
| officeholder_sort = Dembiński, Stefan
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1972
| died              = y
| term_start        = 1964
| term_end          = 27 March 1972
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1964|1972}} years
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 7
| image             = Kopanski Stanislaw.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. dyw.
| officeholder      = [[Stanisław Kopański]]
| officeholder_sort = Kopański, Stanisław
| born_year         = 1895
| died_year         = 1976
| term_start        = 1972
| term_end          = 23 March 1976
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years|1972|1976}} years
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 8
| image             = Gen Bohusz-Szyszko.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. dyw.
| officeholder      = [[Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko]]
| officeholder_sort = Bohusz-Szyszko, Zygmunt
| born_year         = 1893
| died_year         = 1982
| term_start        = 19 March 1976
| term_end          = 19 February 1980
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1976|03|19|1980|02|19}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order             = 9
| image             = GeneralDuch.jpg
| military_rank     = gen. dyw.
| officeholder      = [[Bolesław Bronisław Duch]]
| officeholder_sort = Duch, Bolesław Bronisław
| born_year         = 1885
| died_year         = 1980
| died              = y
| term_start        = 19 February 1980
| term_end          = 9 October 1980
| timeinoffice      = {{ayd|1980|02|19|1980|10|09}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

''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==
{{Notelist}}

{{General Inspectors of the Polish Armed Forces}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:General Inspector Of The Armed Forces}}
[[Category:1926 establishments in Poland]]
[[Category:1980 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:May Coup (Poland)]]
[[Category:20th-century military history of Poland]]