General Władysław Sikorski |
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Prime Minister of Poland 1st Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile |
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In office 30 September 1939 – 4 July 1943 |
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President | Władysław Raczkiewicz |
Preceded by | Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski (in country) |
Succeeded by | Stanisław Mikołajczyk |
Prime Minister of Poland 9th Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Poland |
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In office 16 December 1922 – 26 May 1923 |
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President | Maciej Rataj (interim), Stanisław Wojciechowski |
Preceded by | Julian Nowak |
Succeeded by | Wincenty Witos |
General Inspector of the Armed Forces 3rd General Inspector of the Armed Forces |
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In office 7 November 1939 – 4 July 1943 |
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President | Władysław Raczkiewicz |
Preceded by | Edward Śmigły-Rydz |
Succeeded by | Kazimierz Sosnkowski |
Personal details | |
Born |
Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski 20 May 1881 Tuszów Narodowy, Austria-Hungary |
Died | 4 July 1943 Gibraltar |
(aged 62)
Political party | None |
Spouse(s) | Olga Helena Zubrzewska (1888–1972) |
Children | Zofia Leśniowska (1912–1943) |
Profession | Soldier, Statesman |
Awards | Virtuti Militari |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Second Polish Republic |
Service/branch |
Polish Legions Polish Army |
Years of service | 1914–1928 1939–1943 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands | 9th Infantry Division |
Battles/wars |
First World War |
First World War
Polish–Soviet War
Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (Polish pronunciation: [vwaˈdɨswaf ɕiˈkɔrskʲi]; 20 May 1881 – 4 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader.
Prior to the First World War, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of the independence of Poland from the Russian Empire. He fought with distinction in the Polish Legions during the First World War, and later in the newly created Polish Army during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919 to 1921. In that war he played a prominent role in the decisive Battle of Warsaw (1920). In the early years of the Second Polish Republic, Sikorski held government posts, including serving as Prime Minister (1922 to 1923) and as Minister of Military Affairs (1923 to 1924). Following Józef Piłsudski's May Coup of 1926 and the installation of the Sanacja government, he fell out of favor with the new régime.
During the Second World War, Sikorski became Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, and a vigorous advocate of the Polish cause in the diplomatic sphere. He supported the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and the Soviet Union, which had been severed after the Soviet pact with Germany and the 1939 invasion of Poland — however, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin broke off Soviet-Polish diplomatic relations in April 1943 following Sikorski's request that the International Red Cross investigate the Katyń Forest massacre.