Abstract
<jats:p>Changes in the general corps of the Polish Army in the years 1926&ndash;1935. Volume I: Statistical summaries and biographical information on generals of the Polish Army promoted in the years 1926&ndash;1928 The presented publication concerns the political changes in Poland after the May Coup in 1926. The author analyses the changes in the general corps of the Polish Army in the years 1926&ndash;1935. The fi rst part of the monograph concerns the period from 1926 to 1928, during which not only was the system of functioning of the Polish Army changed to a two-track one (wartime &ndash; General Inspectorate of Armed Forces and peacetime &ndash; Ministry of Military Aff airs). The general inspector of the armed forces was appointed Commander-in-Chief in the event of a military conflict. As a result of the new personnel policy, the general staff was radically restructured. Many generals who supported the legal authorities and opposed the Sanation movement left the Polish Army, including J&oacute;zef Haller and Stanisław Szeptycki. In February 1927, General Tadeusz Rozwadowski was removed from the army, and General Lucjan Żeligowski, who was favourable to J&oacute;zef Piłsudski, left active service at his own request. 48 generals left or were retired from the Polish Army. In 1926, the corps consisted of 129 generals, but in 1928, this number was reduced to 81. Generals with a background in the former Polish Legions were predominant in the corps. In the initial period of the changes, there was a clear &lsquo;legionisation&rsquo; of the general corps. The coup d&rsquo;&eacute;tat brought to power the followers of the Commander, for whom there was no suitable place in pre-May Poland that met their expectations. When the &lsquo;Piłsudskians&rsquo; took power in Poland, they created a concept of elite authoritarianism, assuming that former legionnaires and members of the Peowiak movement should take over the reins of power in the state. The army model was based on the personnel policy pursued by Piłsudski, who was particularly involved in promoting generals whose opinions were binding. The author hypothesises that the political change in Poland after 1926 infl uenced the shape of the general corps until the outbreak of World War II. It led to the removal from the Polish Army of older generals who had come from the armies of the former partitioning powers. The shape and character of the general staff in the years 1926&ndash;1935 were the result of the Marshal&rsquo;s refl ections. This resulted in a gradual dominance of offi cers with a background in the former Polish Legions in the general staff , which was particularly evident until 1935. The diff erences and quantitative divisions, which favoured the Marshal&rsquo;s supporters, gradually blurred just before World War II&rsquo;s outbreak. However, it is worth noting that in 1939, the higher operational commands (armies) were led by generals, most of whom had a legionary background or had been promoted to the general staff (or higher general ranks) after 1926: Emil Przedrzymirski-Krukowicz (Modlin Army), Władysław Bortnowski (Pomerania Army), Tadeusz Kutrzeba (Poznań Army), Juliusz R&oacute;mmel (Ł&oacute;dź Army), Antoni Szylling (Krak&oacute;w Army), Kazimierz Fabrycy from 13 September 1939, replaced by Kazimierz Sosnkowski (Carpathian Army), Stefan Dąb- -Biernacki (Prussian Army) and Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski (Independent Operational Group Narew). Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz, who came from the Polish Legions, became the general inspector of the army (intended to be the Commander-in-Chief) after the death of the Marshal. The direction of development of the Polish Army, created by Piłsudski, and especially the shape of the general corps, proved to be lasting and signifi cantly impacted Poland&rsquo;s preparations for the upcoming war.</jats:p>