Edward Rydz-Śmigły

Who was Edward Rydz-Śmigły?

Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły, before 1922 Edward Rydz, from 1922 onward Edward Śmigły-Rydz; nom de guerre Śmigły, Tarłowski, Adam Zawisza was a Marshal of Poland, politician, 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, following Piłsudski's death, Rydz succeeded as General Inspector of the Armed Forces in 1935. He served in that capacity during the Invasion of Poland, which marked the beginning of World War II.