Generał (pronounced ) is the generic Polish language term for the rank of general. In narrow sense it is used to denote the rank of a

four-star general A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army gen ...

introduced on August 15, 2002 (formerly ''generał armii'' - general of the army). It is currently the highest military rank of the Polish Army, with the rank of

Marshal of Poland Marshal of Poland ( pl, Marszałek Polski) is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, Marshal is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army (OF-10) in other NATO armies. History To ...

currently being unused. The symbols of the rank are the ''wężyk generalski'' (pronounced ), or "general's wavy line", and four stars, featured both on the rogatywka, sleeves of the uniform and above the breast pocket of a field uniform.

Background

In Polish military traditions the highest rank was always the rank of

, with three General's grades below. However, the system differed significantly from other systems of rank insignia used in both armies of the Warsaw Pact and the NATO. Because of lack of the rank of four-star general, the Polish ranks were usually a grade higher than their name suggested. Thus the rank of

Generał brygady Generał brygady (, literally '' General of a brigade'', abbreviated gen. bryg.) is the lowest grade for generals in the Polish Army (both in the Land Forces and in the Polish Air Force). Depending on the context, it is equivalent to both the mod ...

was an equivalent of Major General rather than

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

as the name suggested. In 1954, during the integration of the Polish Army with the structures of the Warsaw Pact (and, more precisely, of the Red Army), a new rank of ''generał armii'' (General of an Army) was introduced, as a direct copy of the Soviet rank of General of the Army (russian: Генерал армии). However, after the death of Joseph Stalin and the end of Stalinism in Poland, the general officers rank structure returned to the pre-war pattern. In 1981 Gen.

Wojciech Jaruzelski Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military officer, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party be ...

(being at this time the 1st Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, the Prime Minister and the Minister of the National Defense) introduced again the rank of general of the army. As the only person to hold the newly introduced rank, he was thought of as an ''

ersatz An ersatz good () is a substitute good, especially one that is considered inferior to the good it replaces. It has particular connotations of wartime usage. Etymology ''Ersatz'' is a German word literally meaning ''substitute'' or ''replacement ...

-Marshal'', as he could not promote himself to the rank of Marshal of Poland after the death of

Marian Spychalski Marian "Marek" Spychalski (, 6 December 1906 – 7 June 1980) was a Polish architect in pre-war Poland, and later, military commander and a communist politician. During World War II he belonged to the Polish underground forces operating within ...

. In 1995 the rank was yet again abolished and the only people to still hold it are Jaruzelski and Gen.

Florian Siwicki Florian Siwicki (; 10 January 1925 – 11 March 2013) was a Polish military officer, diplomat and communist politician. He was a general in the Polish Army and Minister of Defense of Poland from 1983 to 1990. Military and political career ...

, both died in the early 2010s. However, with Poland's entry into the structures of NATO a need arose to unify the Polish rank system with that of English-speaking countries (and more precisely, the US). Hence the rank of a ''Generał'' was introduced. The rank of Marshal of Poland remains as the "wartime" rank, given to the chief of general staff in case of war or a successful military commander after a victorious campaign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:General Military ranks of Poland Polish generals pl:Generał