'Marshal of Poland' (''Marszałek Polski'') is the highest rank in the
Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, this rank is equivalent to a
Field Marshal or
General of the Army (OF-10) in other
NATO armies.
There are today no living Marshals of Poland, since this rank is bestowed only on military commanders who have achieved victory in war. Recently, however, the rank of four-star
Generał has been introduced, and on
August 15,
2002, was granted to
Czesław Piątas, Chief of the General Staff of the
Polish Army.
In all, the following persons have served as
Marshals of
Poland.
★
1920 -
Józef Piłsudski (
1867-
1935)
★
1922 -
Ferdinand Foch (
1851-
1929) (also
Marshal of France and
British Field Marshal)
★
1936 -
Edward Rydz-Śmigły (
1881-
1941)
Soldiers of the
''LWP'' (Polish People's Army) with Marshal-of-Poland rank:
★
1945 -
Michał Rola-Żymierski (
1890-
1989)
★
1949 -
Konstanty Rokossowski (
1896-
1968) (also
Marshal of the Soviet Union)
★
1963 -
Marian Spychalski (
1906-
1980)
Wojciech Jaruzelski, despite colleagues' encouragement in the
1980s, declined promotion to Marshal of Poland.