Edward Rydz - Śmigły Marshal Edward Rydz - Śmigły , before 1922 " Edward Rydz " , from 1922 onward ( 11 March 1886 – 2 December 1941 ) ; nom de guerre " Śmigły , Tarłowski , Adam Zawisza " ) was a Marshal of Poland , Polish political figure , Commander - in - Chief of Poland ' s armed forces , and a painter and poet . After many earlier successes as an army commander during the Polish - Soviet War , Rydz succeeded Marshal Józef Piłsudski as General Inspector of the Armed Forces in 1935 , following Piłsudski ' s death . He served in that capacity during the Invasion of Poland , which marked the beginning of World War II . Early life . Edward Rydz was born in the village of Łapszyn ( now Lapshin in Ukraine ) near Brzeżany , Galicia , Austria - Hungary . He was the son of a professional NCO in the Austro - Hungarian Army , Tomasz Rydz , and Maria Babiak . The family endured rather humble circumstances and he was orphaned at the age of 13 years . He was then raised by his maternal grandparents and , after their deaths , by the family of Dr . Uranowicz , the town physician at Brzeżany . After graduating with distinction at the local " Gymnasium " Rydz went to Kraków where he completed studies in philosophy and history of art at the Jagiellonian University . He then studied to be a painter at the arts academy in Kraków , and later in Vienna and Munich . In 1910 – 1911 he attended the reserve officers ' academy in Vienna , and received military training at the famous Austrian 4th Infantry Regiment " Deutschmeister " ( so called after Archduke Eugene , a cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph I , who was Grand Master of the Teutonic Order ) . He finished his military education with distinction and was offered a commission in the Imperial Army , which he declined . In 1912 Rydz was one of the founders of the Polish paramilitary organisation Riflemen ' s Association ( " Związek Strzelecki " ) . At the same time he completed his art studies . He was regarded as a very promising talent in landscape and portrait painting , and praised by his professors and critics , who foresaw a great future for him . Drafted into the Austrian Army in July 1914 , Rydz was transferred in August to the Polish Legions and fought in World War I in the famous Polish 1st Brigade of Piłsudski . He took part in many battles against the Russia ns in the region of Southern Vistula , and rose quickly in rank . By 1916 , he was already a full colonel . However he did not forget his art and exhibited his work at a gallery in Kraków . In 1917 , after refusing to swear an oath to the Austrian and German authorities , the Legions were disbanded , their soldiers interned and Piłsudski imprisoned in Magdeburg fortress . By Piłsudski ' s appointment , Rydz ( who escaped prison on the grounds of bad health ) became commander of Polish Military Organization ( " POW " ) and adopted the nom de guerre " Śmigły " ( " Fast " or " Agile " ) , which he later added as an integral part to his surname . In October 1918 Rydz entered the socialist government of Ignacy Daszyński in Lublin as Minister of War . Having been promoted to brigadier general ( the equivalent one - star general in the Polish army ) , he emphasised that he had accepted the office as a deputee of Piłsudski . It was at this time he began using the double - barrelled name of Rydz - Śmigły . On 11 November 1918 the Government relinquished all power to Piłsudski , who became Provisional Head of State . After some hesitation , Piłsudski ( who was displeased by Rydz - Śmigły ' s cooperation with the socialists – he himself " " having left the streetcar of Socialism at the stop called Independence " " ) confirmed him as a brigadier . Military triumphs . During the Polish - Soviet War ( 1919 – 1921 ) , Rydz commanded Polish armies in several offensives . Among the victorious engagements , he captured Wilno and Dünaburg . After that , he was appointed Commander - in - Chief of the Latvian armed forces , and liberated Latgale from Red Army . Subsequently , he completely annihilated the Red Army ' s 12th Division and took Kiev . He then commanded the Central Front of Polish forces during the Battle of Warsaw , known as the " Miracle on the Vistula " . In this decisive battle , Polish commander Józef Piłsudski outwitted the Soviet commander Mikhail Tukhachevsky . Rydz - Śmigły ' s Central Front held against the Soviet attack , and later blocked the escape routes for the defeated 4th and 15th Armies and the 3rd Cavalry Corps of Soviet General Gayk Bzhishkyan , which had to flee ingloriously to East Prussia , where they were interned by the Germans . Second Man in the State . After the 1919 – 21 war he was appointed the Inspector - General of the Polish Army in the Vilna district and later in Warsaw . In 1926 , during Piłsudski ' s coup d ' état ( the May Coup ) , he took the Marshal ' s side and sent troops from Wilno to reinforce anti - government troops in Warsaw . Piłsudski never forgot this fidelity and in 1929 Rydz was appointed as the Marshal ' s deputy on all matters concerning the East . On 13 May 1935 , following Piłsudski ' s death , Rydz was nominated by the President and the Government of Poland to serve in the capacity of the Inspector - General of the Polish Armed Forces ( the highest Polish military office ) . This was done in accordance with Piłsudski ' s wishes . Piłsudski ' s death saw his followers ( the Sanacja ) , divide themselves into three main factions : those supporting President Ignacy Mościcki as Piłsudski ' s successor , those supporting Rydz , and those supporting prime minister Walery Sławek . With a view to eliminating Slawek from the game , Mościcki concluded a power - sharing agreement with Rydz - Śmigły , which saw Slawek marginalised as a serious political player by the end of the year . As a result of this agreement , Rydz - Śmigły was to become the de facto leader of Poland , until the outbreak of the war , whilst Mościcki remained influential through continuing in the highest office of president . From 1935 , Rydz saw himself rapidly elevated in rank and position . On 15 July 1936 he was officially awarded the title of " Second Man in the State after the President " , by the Polish prime minister . On 10 November , he was promoted to the rank of Marshal of Poland . Rydz ' s image as Piłsudski ' s anointed successor was popularized by the " Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego " movement , but alienated many of Piłsudski ' s supporters , offended by what they saw as Rydz ' s acts of self - promotion . The period of Rydz ' s rule , 1935 – 39 , was often referred to as " a dictatorship without a dictator " . Rydz lacked the moral authority of Piłsudski , and the piłsudskites were bitterly divided after 1935 . The ruling regime was divided between the Mościski faction ( known as the ' president ' s men ' or the ' castle group ' ) , made up mainly of civilians , and Rydz ' s group , known as the ' Marshal ' s Men ' , made up mostly of old comrades of Piłsudski and professional officers . Besides these two major groups , were the supporters of Slawek and other disgruntled piłsudskite groups , which were deprived of influence following the Rydz - Mościcki pact . The regime became increasingly authoritarian and conservative . This was exemplified by the creation of the Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego ( Ozon ) movement . Ozon never achieved its goal of developing into a popular mass movement , and transforming Rydz into " Poland ' s second great leader " ( after Piłsudski himself ) . Several of Poland ' s powerful politicians , including foreign minister , Józef Beck , and Mościcki himself , made a point of distancing themselves from this movement . 1939 . In March 1939 , Hitler occupied Bohemia and Moravia and created the satellite client - state of Slovakia . This encircled Poland with an iron ring on all sides except the east . Rydz was the only member of the government who clearly saw the impending danger of a conflict with Germany . However , time remaining was too short for the creation of completely new Polish operation plans in the west . During negotiations in Moscow during August 1939 , Rydz refused all attempts by the Western Powers to obtain Polish permission for the Red Army to march westward , stating that " there is no guarantee that the Soviets will really take active part in the war ; furthermore , once having entered Polish territory , they will never leave it " . On 1 September 1939 , when the Germans invaded Poland , Śmigły - Rydz was named Commander - in - Chief of Polish forces . On 7 September , along with most of the government , he evacuated Warsaw as it came under attack . Soon afterwards , Polish coordination began to suffer from communications problems , which impaired Rydz ' s ability to command the forces . In Brest ( Brześć ) on 11 September he ordered that the Polish capital be defended at all costs . In his plan , Warsaw and the nearby Modlin Fortress were to become two redoubt citadels in central Poland , fighting on for months , while the bulk of Polish forces were to defend the Romanian bridgehead and await the counterattack promised by Poland ' s French and British allies . Unknown to Śmigły - Rydz , the Western Allies had no such plans and expected Poland ' s fall . His plan was further crippled when Soviet forces attacked Poland from the east on 17 September . Realizing that defence against both neighbours was impossible , Śmigły - Rydz issued orders for Polish forces to retreat towards Romania and avoid fighting the Soviet aggressors . On 18 September 1939 , after avoiding capture by Soviet and German troops , Śmigły - Rydz , escaped to Romania and was interned . The Polish government ' s crossing into Romania prevented Poland from having to officially surrender , and allowed Polish soldiers to carry on fighting against Nazi Germany , though Rydz ' s flight sparked some controversy , considering his position as supreme commander of the armed forces . Large numbers of Polish soldiers and airmen escaped into southern Europe and regrouped in France , and after her surrender , in Britain . The last years . Marshal Śmigły - Rydz , as the Commander - in - Chief of Polish Armed Forces , took complete responsibility for Poland ' s military defeat in September 1939 . Rydz was an extremely able Commander on smaller fronts , but was not an experienced strategist in a great conflict . In 1922 , in an evaluation of Polish generals , Piłsudski had written about him : " " in operational work he displays healthy common sense and a lot of stubborn energy . I could recommend him to everybody as a commander of an army , I am however not sure if he possesses sufficient abilities to function as commander - in - chief in a war between two states " . " During his internment in Romania , Śmigły - Rydz initiated the creation of the Polish underground . This was based on officers who were loyal to the memory of Piłsudski . Still in Romania , on 27 October , he relinquished his function as the Commander - in - Chief and Inspector - General of the Armed Forces . This role was assumed by Władysław Sikorski , who was serving in the new Polish government in exile in France ( and after 1940 in the United Kingdom ) . Śmigły - Rydz was transferred from the internment camp to the villa of a former Romanian prime minister in Dragoslavele , from where he escaped on 10 December 1940 and crossed illegally into Hungary . His flight to Hungary and rumours about his planned return to Poland were a source of considerable displeasure to his rival Sikorski , now Prime Minister . Sikorski had been in opposition to Śmigły - Rydz and Piłsudski from the time of the 1926 May Coup . Sikorski declared in a telegram to General Stefan Grot - Rowecki , leader of the Armia Krajowa ( AK ) underground resistance in Poland : " " the Polish Government will regard a sojourn of the Marshal in Poland as a sabotage of its work in the country . The Marshal must as soon as possible move to some country of the British Empire " " . However Śmigły - Rydz left Hungary on 25 October 1941 , and travelling through Slovakia reached Poland . On 30 October , in strict secrecy , Śmigły came back to Warsaw to participate in the resistance movement as a common underground soldier , thus voluntarily suspending his rank as Marshal of Poland . He managed to contact Grot - Rowecki , but remained incognito . He died suddenly of heart failure at the age of 55 , on 2 December 1941 , only five weeks after his arrival in Warsaw . He was buried in Warsaw under his alias " Adam Zawisza " . His tombstone at the Powązki Cemetery bore that name until 1991 . A new tombstone was erected by the people of Warsaw in 1994 . Rydz was married to Marta Zaleska , " née " Thomas , the couple was childless . Awards and tributes . Polish Decorations Order of the White Eagle , Commander and Knight of Virtuti Militari , Grand Cross , Grand Officer and Officer of Order of Polonia Restituta , four times Cross of Valour , Golden Cross of Merit ( Złoty Krzyż Zasługi ) , and Cross of Independence with Swords . Foreign decorations Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania , Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy , Grand Cross , Grand Officer and Commander of the French Order of the Legion of Honour , Grand Officer of the Finnish Order of the White Rose , Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle ( Yugoslavia ) and Order of Saint Sava of Yugoslavia , Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit , Grand Cross of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun , Knight of Latvia ' s highest military award , Order of Lāčplēsis ( the Order of the Bearslayer ) , 2nd class , Pulaski Medal ( USA ) and Italian Cross of Military Merit . Honorary Titles Rydz was Honorary Doctor of the Universities of Warsaw and Vilnius ( at that time in Poland ) and Warsaw University of Technology and Honorary Citizen of various Polish cities . Tributes Marshal Edward Śmigły - Rydz Park is a large tree - covered public park in Warsaw , established after World War II on the eastern side of the Polish parliament building . Legacy . Edward Rydz - Śmigły ' s reputation after World War II was mixed . In socialist Poland and the Soviet Union , he was decried for his participation in the Polish - Soviet War in 1920 , and the political repression under his military government of the late 1930s . In the West , due to the influence of anti - Piłsudski circles with Władysław Sikorski as their foremost representative , he was seen as having fled from the battlefield in 1939 , with little recognition given to the circumstances of Poland ' s defeat by the Germans and Soviets . See also . Coat of arms of Ryc