Władysław Sikorski during World War II.

Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (May 20, 1881 – July 4, 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. He was born in the southern Polish territories occupied by Austria-Hungary, one of Poland's three partitioners. Before World War I, he became a founder and member of several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independence. He fought with distinction in the Polish Legions during the First World War, then in the newly-created Polish Army during the Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921). In the latter war he played a prominent role in the decisive Battle of Warsaw, when Soviet forces, expecting an easy final victory, were surprised and crippled by the Polish counterattack. Download high resolution version (726x899, 78 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (726x899, 78 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... The Partitions of Poland ( Polish Rozbiór or Rozbiory Polski) happened in the 18th century and ended the existence of a sovereign state of Poland (or more correctly the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Polish Legions (Polish Legiony Polskie) was the name of Polish armed forces created in August of 1914 in Galicia. ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... Polish-Bolshevik War Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 1919– 1921 Place Central and Eastern Europe Result Polish victory The Polish-Soviet War was the war (February 1919 – March 1921) that determined the borders between the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic and Second Polish Republic. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of Warsaw Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 13 to August 25, 1920 Place near Warsaw, Poland Result Decisive Polish victory The Battle of Warsaw (sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, Polish Cud nad Wisłą) was the decisive battle of the Polish-Bolshevik War (also known as... The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: (СССР)  listen; tr. ...

In the early years of the Second Polish Republic, Sikorski held government posts including prime minister (1922-1923) and minister of military affairs (1923-1924). He fell out of favor with Polish authorities, however, after Józef Piłsudski's May Coup (1926) and the installation of the Sanacja government. Through 1939 he remained in opposition to the regime, and wrote several books on the art of warfare and on Polish foreign relations. Second Polish Republic 1921-1939 The Second Polish Republic is an unofficial name applied to the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. When the borders of the state were fixed in 1921, it had an area of 388. ... A prime minister may be either: the chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A defence minister (Commonwealth English) or defense minister (American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Term of Office from November 14, 1918 until December 9, 1922 Profession Statesman and military commander Political Party none, see Sanacja for details First Lady Maria Piłsudska Date of Birth December 5, 1867 Place of Birth Zułów, in todays Lithuania Date of Death May 12, 1935 Place of Death... May Coup ( Polish: Przewrót majowy or zamach majowy) was a coup detat successfully carried out during the Second Polish Republic by Józef Piłsudski, May 12 – May 14, 1926. ... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Flag of the Chief of State (1919-1927) Sanacja was a coalition political movement of the Second Polish Republic in the inter war years. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses of War, see War (disambiguation). ...

During World War II he became Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, and a staunch advocate of the Polish cause on the diplomatic scene. He supported the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and the Soviet Union, which had been severed after the Soviet alliance with Germany in the invasion of Poland in September 1939. In April 1943, however, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin broke off Soviet-Polish diplomatic relations following Sikorski's request that the International Red Cross investigate the murder at Katyn of thousands of Polish prisoners of war held in Soviet custody. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Government of the Polish Republic in exile maintained a continuous existence in exile from the time of the German occupation of Poland in September 1939 until the end of the Communist rule in Poland in 1990. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Ladowe) is the name applied to the Army branch of the Military Forces of Poland. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ... The Katyń Forest Massacre, also known as the Katyn massacre, was the mass execution of Polish citizens by the Soviet Union during World War II. Initially, the expression referred to the massacre of the Polish officers from the Kozielsk POW camp in Katyn forest near the village of Gnezdovo, a...

In July 1943 Sikorski was killed when his plane crashed into the sea immediately on takeoff from Gibraltar. The exact circumstances of his death remain in dispute, which has given rise to ongoing conspiracy theories. July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Citing the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, an aviation accident is defined as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person... This proposed logo for a U.S. government agency was dropped due to fears that its Masonic symbolism would provoke conspiracy theories. ...

Biography

Early life and World War I

Sikorski was born May 20, 1881, in Tuszow Narodowy, Polish Galicia, then a territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father was Tomasz Sikorski, of impoverished Polish gentry (coat of arms Kopaszyna); his mother was Emilia Habrowska. Young Sikorski studied engineering at the Lwów Polytechnic, specializing in road and bridge construction. After graduation he worked for the Galician administration in the petroleum industry. In 1906 Sikorski volunteered for a year's service in the Austro-Hungarian army and attended the Austrian Military School, obtaining an officer's diploma and becoming a reserves sublieutenant (podporucznik rezerwy). In 1909 he married Olga Helena Zubrzewska. The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, or simply Galicia, was the largest and northernmost province of Austria from 1772 until 1918, with Lemberg (Lwów, Lviv) as its capital city. ... Official languages Latin, German, Hungarian Established church Roman Catholic Capital & Largest City Vienna pop. ... Szlachta ( pronounced: [ʃlaxta]) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ( Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Lviv Polytechnic (full name Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ukrainian Національний університет Львівська політехніка, Polish Politechnika Lwowska) is the biggest scientifical university in Lviv. ... The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, or simply Galicia, was the largest and northernmost province of Austria from 1772 until 1918, with Lemberg (Lwów, Lviv) as its capital city. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths crust. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Any holder of an office or of a post may bear the title officer. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1907 Sikorski joined the underground Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna), which was intent on securing Polish independence. It was then that he met Józef Piłsudski. In 1908, in Lwów, Sikorski — together with Marian Kukiel, Walerey Sławek, Kazimierz Sosnkowski, Witold Jodko-Narkiewicz and Henryk Minkiewicz — organized the secret Combat Association (Związek Walki Czynnej), directed at organizing an uprising against the Russian Empire, one of Poland's three partitioners. In 1910, likewise in Lwów, Sikorski organized a Riflemen's Association (Związek Strzelecki) and became responsible for military organization within the Commission of Confederated Independence Parties (Komisja Skonfederowanych Stronnictw Niepodległościowych). 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) was one of the most important Polish political parties 1890-1948. ... Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) was one of the most important Polish political parties 1890-1948. ... Term of Office from November 14, 1918 until December 9, 1922 Profession Statesman and military commander Political Party none, see Sanacja for details First Lady Maria Piłsudska Date of Birth December 5, 1867 Place of Birth Zułów, in todays Lithuania Date of Death May 12, 1935 Place of Death... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel pseudonym: Marek Kąkol, Stach Zawierucha (b. ... Walery Sławek ( 1879- 1939) was a Polish politician who three times served as Prime Minister of Poland in the early 1930s. ... Uprising is another word for rebellion. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The Partitions of Poland ( Polish Rozbiór or Rozbiory Polski) happened in the 18th century and ended the existence of a sovereign state of Poland (or more correctly the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Sikorski in 1918.

Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914, he became chief of the military department in the Polish National Committee (Polski Komitet Narodowy) and remained in this post until 1916. Later, as a commissioner of the Polish Legions in Kraków, he was responsible for recruitment to the Legions, an army created by Józef Piłsudski to liberate Poland from Russian and, ultimately, Austro-Hungarian and German rule. The Legions initially fought in alliance with Austro-Hungary against Russia. From 1916 there was growing tension between Sikorski, who advocated for cooperation with Austro-Hungary, and Piłsudski, who held that Austro-Hungary and Germany had betrayed the trust of the Polish people. In June 1917 Piłsudski refused Austro-Hungarian orders to swear loyalty to the Austro-Hungarian emperor (the "oath crisis," kryzys przysięgowy) and was interned at the fortress of Magdeburg, while Sikorski returned to the Austro-Hungarian Army. Although in 1918 Sikorski came to agree with Piłsudski (and soon joined Piłsudski in internment), from now on the two great Polish leaders would drift farther and farther apart. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... A Commissioner is one of various classes of persons who holds an office by virtue of a commission in the normally from the head of state, particularly of a state in the Commonwealth of Nations. ... Polish Legions (Polish Legiony Polskie) was the name of Polish armed forces created in August of 1914 in Galicia. ... Motto: none Voivodship Lesser Poland Municipal government Rada miasta Kraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski Area 326,8 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 757,500 (2004 est. ... Term of Office from November 14, 1918 until December 9, 1922 Profession Statesman and military commander Political Party none, see Sanacja for details First Lady Maria Piłsudska Date of Birth December 5, 1867 Place of Birth Zułów, in todays Lithuania Date of Death May 12, 1935 Place of Death... The word internment is generally used to refer to the imprisonment or confinement of people without due process of law and a trial. ... View of Magdeburg with the cathedral, from the tower of the Johanniskirche Magdeburg, the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, lies on the Elbe river. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Polish-Soviet War

In 1918 the Russian, Austro-Hungarian and German empires collapsed, and Poland once again became independent, but the borders of the Second Polish Republic were not stable. On the east they would be determined in escalating conflicts among Polish, Ukrainian, Baltic and Soviet forces in what culminated in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921. In the opening phase of the war, Władysław Sikorski, now commander of the Polish Army in the Galicia region, took part in the liberation of Lwów and Przemyśl. Later Sikorski commanded the Polesie Group during Poland's Kiev offensive in early 1920. He had a good working relation with French General Maxime Weygand of the Interallied Mission to Poland. 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Second Polish Republic 1921-1939 The Second Polish Republic is an unofficial name applied to the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. When the borders of the state were fixed in 1921, it had an area of 388. ... Baltic states and the Baltic Sea The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a term which nowadays refers to three countries in Northern Europe: Estonia Latvia Lithuania Prior to World War II, Finland was sometimes considered, particularly by the Soviet Union, a fourth Baltic state. ... Polish-Bolshevik War Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 1919– 1921 Place Central and Eastern Europe Result Polish victory The Polish-Soviet War was the war (February 1919 – March 1921) that determined the borders between the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic and Second Polish Republic. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, or simply Galicia, was the largest and northernmost province of Austria from 1772 until 1918, with Lemberg (Lwów, Lviv) as its capital city. ... Lviv coat of arms Motto: Semper fidelis Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population    total 2000    density 808,900 4786/km² Founded city rights 13th century 1353 Area code + 0322 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Twin towns... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Kiev Offensive (1920) Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date April-June, 1920 Place Ukraine Result inconclusive The Kiev Offensive (or Kiev Operation) was an important military operation, carried out by Polish Army and allied Ukrainian forces during the Polish-Bolshevik War, from April 1920 to June of the same year. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... General Maxime Weygand Maxime Weygand (January 21, 1867 - January 28, 1965) was a French military commander in both World War I and World War II. Origin of Weygand Weygand was born in Brussels, Belgium. ... Interallied Mission to Poland was a diplomatic mission launched by David Lloyd George on July 21, 1920, at the height of the Polish-Soviet War, weeks before the decisive Battle of Warsaw. ...

Battle of Warsaw. (Painting by Wojciech Kossak.)

In April 1920 the Red Army of Russia's new Soviet regime pushed back the Polish forces and invaded Poland. Subsequently Sikorski failed to hold the Brest fortress, but then distinguished himself commanding the Polish 5th Army (the Lower Vistula front) during the Battle of Warsaw, when Soviet forces, expecting an easy final victory, were surprised and crippled by the Polish counter-attack. During that battle (sometimes referred to as "the Miracle at the Vistula") Sikorski stopped the Bolshevik advance north of Warsaw and gave Józef Piłsudski the time he needed for his counter-offensive; for his valorous achievements Sikorski received the highest Polish military decoration, the order of Virtuti Militari. After the Battle of Warsaw, Sikorski commanded the 3rd Army during the latter stages of the Battle of Lwów and the Battle of Zamość, and then advanced with his forces toward Latvia and deep into Belarus. The Poles defeated the Soviets, and the Polish-Soviet Treaty of Riga (March 1921) gave Poland substantial areas of Belarus and Ukraine. Sikorski's fame was vastly enhanced as he became known to the Polish public as one of the heroes of the Polish-Soviet War. He would describe his role in the war in a 1923 book, Nad Wisłą i Wkrą (At the Wisła and Wkra [Rivers]). Battle of Warsaw. ... Battle of Warsaw. ... Wojciech Kossak, self-portrait. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: (СССР)  listen; tr. ... Brest is the name of several cities: City in Belarus: Brest, Belarus, formerly in Russia and the Soviet Union and formerly known as Brest-Litovsk. ... Battle of Warsaw Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 13 to August 25, 1920 Place near Warsaw, Poland Result Decisive Polish victory The Battle of Warsaw (sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, Polish Cud nad Wisłą) was the decisive battle of the Polish-Bolshevik War (also known as... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa, see also other names, in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ... Term of Office from November 14, 1918 until December 9, 1922 Profession Statesman and military commander Political Party none, see Sanacja for details First Lady Maria Piłsudska Date of Birth December 5, 1867 Place of Birth Zułów, in todays Lithuania Date of Death May 12, 1935 Place of Death... Order of Virtuti Militari The Order of Virtuti Militari (Military Virtue) is Polands highest military decoration for valour in the face of the enemy, equivalent to the British Victoria Cross or the US Congressional Medal of Honor. ... Battle of Lwów Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date July-September, 1920 Place near Lwów, Poland Result Polish victory During the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 the city of Lwów was attacked by the forces of Aleksandr Yegorov. ... The Peace of Riga (also known as the Treaty of Riga, Polish: Traktat Ryski) signed on 18th March 1921 between Poland and Soviet Russia ended the Polish-Bolshevik War. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In government and in opposition

In April 1921 Sikorski succeeded Piłsudski as commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces, and became chief of the Polish General Staff. Between 1922 and 1925 he held high government offices. After the assassination of Polish President Gabriel Narutowicz, the Marshal of the Sejm (the Polish parliament), Maciej Rataj, appointed Sikorski prime minister. From December 18, 1922, to May 26, 1923, Sikorski served as Prime Minister and also as Minister of Internal Affairs. During his brief tenure as prime minister, he became popular with the Polish public and carried out essential reforms in addition to guiding the country's foreign policy in a direction that gained the approval and cooperation of the League of Nations. He also obtained recognition for Poland's eastern frontiers from Britain, France and the United States. From 1923 to 1924 he held the post of Chief Inspector of the Armed Forces. From February 1924 to 1925, under Prime Minister Władysław Grabski, he was Minister of Military Affairs and guided the modernization of the Polish military. His proposal, however, to increase the powers of the Minister of Military Affairs while reducing those of the Chief Inspector of the Armed Forces met with sharp disapproval from Piłsudski. From 1925 to 1928 Sikorski commanded Military Corps District (Okręg Korpusu) VI in Lwów. 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Ladowe) is the name applied to the Army branch of the Military Forces of Poland. ... A General Staff is a group of professional military officers who act in a staff or administrative role. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Term of Office from December 9, 1922, until December 16, 1922 Profession Engineer, university professor Political Party nonpartisan First Lady Date of Birth March 17, 1865 Place of Birth Telsze ( in todays Lithuania) Date of Death December 16, 1922 Place of Death Warsaw, Poland Gabriel Narutowicz, b. ... This article is about the lower chamber of Polish parliament. ... The debating chamber or hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels. ... Maciej Rataj (19 February 1884 - 21 June 1940) was a Polish politician, president, socialist activist and writer. ... A prime minister may be either: the chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives... December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the First World War at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Categories: People stubs | Prime Ministers of Poland | 1874 births | 1938 deaths ...

Władysław Sikorski in 1925.

A democrat and supporter of the Sejm, Sikorski maintained his neutrality during Józef Piłsudski's May coup d'etat in 1926, which was supported by most of the military. In due course, as a semi-dictatorial Sanacja regime was established, Sikorski joined the anti-Piłsudski opposition. In 1928 he was dismissed by Piłsudski from public service and transferred into the reserves. In 1936, together with several prominent Polish politicians (Wincenty Witos, Ignacy Paderewski, and General Józef Haller) he joined the Front Morges, an anti-Sanacja political grouping. Sikorski largely withdrew from politics, spending much of his time in Paris, France, and working with the French Ecole Superieure de Guerre (war college). Based on his experiences in the Polish-Soviet War, he wrote a book on the future of maneuver warfare, Przyszła wojna – jej możliwości i charakter oraz związane z nimi zagadnienia obrony kraju (War in the Future: Its Possibilities and Character and Associated Questions of National Defense, Polish and French editions 1934, English edition 1943), advancing ideas similar to the German concept of Blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). Alongside France's Charles De Gaulle and Russia's Mikhail Tukhachevski, he may be considered one of the pioneers of Blitzkrieg theory. During this period, he wrote several other books and many articles, foreseeing, among other things, the rapid militarization of Germany and the deleterious effects of Western appeasement policies. Download high resolution version (900x1196, 350 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (900x1196, 350 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the lower chamber of Polish parliament. ... May Coup (Polish: Przewrót majowy or zamach majowy) was a coup detat successfully carried out during the Second Polish Republic by Józef Piłsudski, May 12 – May 14, 1926. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Flag of the Chief of State (1919-1927) Sanacja was a coalition political movement of the Second Polish Republic in the inter war years. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Categories: People stubs | 1874 births | 1945 deaths | Prime Ministers of Poland ... Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (November 6, 1860 – June 29, 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and politician, the third Prime Minister of Poland. ... Józef Haller Józef Haller de Hallenburg (August 13, 1873 - June 4, 1960) was a Polish general and politician. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Polish-Bolshevik War Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 1919– 1921 Place Central and Eastern Europe Result Polish victory The Polish-Soviet War was the war (February 1919 – March 1921) that determined the borders between the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic and Second Polish Republic. ... Maneuver warfare is a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Blitzkrieg relied on close cooperation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ... Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as le général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Mikhail Tukhachevsky Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky (also spelled Tukhachevski, Tukhachevskii, Russian: Михаил Николаевич Тухачевский) (February 16, 1893 - June 11, 1937), Soviet military commander, was one of the most prominent victims of Stalins Great Purge of the late 1930s. ...

As the international situation deteriorated, Sikorski returned to Poland in 1938, hoping to be of more active service to his country. 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Prime Minister in Exile

"Poland: First to Fight" (1939 poster).

When Poland was invaded by Germany in September 1939, Sikorski was refused a military command by the Polish Commander in Chief, Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły. Sikorski escaped to Paris, where on September 28 he joined Władysław Raczkiewicz and Stanisław Mikołajczyk in a Polish government-in-exile, becoming from September 30 the most successful, credible, and famous of the Polish prime ministers in exile. He preserved the continuity of his country’s government and was respected and recognized by the population of occupied Poland. During his years as prime minister in exile, Sikorski personified the hopes and dreams of millions of Poles, as reflected in the saying, "When the sun is higher, Sikorski is nearer" (Polish: "Gdy słoneczko wyżej, to Sikorski bliżej"). On November 7 he became Commander in Chief and General Inspector of the Armed Forces (Naczelny Wódz i Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych). Poland First to Fight poster (1939) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Poland First to Fight poster (1939) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Edward Rydz-Śmigły. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years). ... Term of Office from September 30, 1939 until June 6, 1947 Profession Lawyer Political Party none (BBWR) First Lady not married Date of Birth January 28, 1885 Place of Birth Kutaisi, Georgia Date of Death June 6, 1947 Place of Death Wales, United Kingdom Władysław Raczkiewicz (1885-1947) was a... Stanisław Mikołajczyk. ... The Government of the Polish Republic in exile maintained a continuous existence in exile from the time of the German occupation of Poland in September 1939 until the end of the Communist rule in Poland in 1990. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 92 days remaining, as the final day of September. ... A prime minister may be either: the chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ...

His government was recognized by the western Allies, as Poland, even with its territories occupied, still commanded substantial armed forces: the Polish Navy had sailed to Britain, and many thousands of Polish troops had escaped via Romania and Hungary or across the Baltic Sea. Those routes would be used until the end of the war by both interned soldiers and volunteers from Poland, who jocularly called themselves "Sikorski's tourists" and embarked on their dangerous journeys, braving death or imprisonment in concentration camps if caught by the Germans or their allies. With the steady flow of recruits, the new Polish Army was soon reassembled in France and in French-mandated Syria. In 1940 the Polish Highland Brigade took part in the Battle of Narvik (Norway), and two Polish divisions participated in the defense of France, while a Polish motorized brigade and two infantry divisions were in process of forming. A Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade was created in French-mandated Syria, to which many Polish troops had escaped from Romania. The Polish Air Force in France comprised 86 aircraft in four squadrons. One and a half of the squadrons were fully operational, while the rest were in various stages of training. At that time Poland was the third most powerful Ally, with some 84,000 soldiers in France alone. Polish Navy Ensign Manuevers of the Polish Navy - Baltic Sea The Polish Navy (Polska Marynarka Wojenna, PMW) is the branch of Poland armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Eastern Europe and Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... A concentration camp is a large detention center created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... League of Nations mandates were territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Polish Independent Highland Brigade (Polish Samodzielna Brygada Strzelców Podhalańskich) was Polish military unit created in France in 1939, after the fall of Poland. ... The Battles of Narvik were naval battles between the Royal Navy (Britain) and the Kriegsmarine (Germany) that occurred in April 1940 (during the Second World War). ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. ... In World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow (Fall Gelb in German) was the France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ... Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade (Polish Samodzielna Brygada Strzelców Karpackich) was a Polish military unit formed in 1940 in French Syria of the Polish soldiers exiled after the Polish Defence War of 1939. ... League of Nations mandates were territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919. ... Polish Air Force (Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Sily Powietrzne RP) - the Air Force of Poland. ...

Sikorski presenting Order of Virtuti Militari to Polish fighter ace Jan Zumbach of the 303 "Kościuszko" Squadron.

Although many Polish personnel had died in the fighting or had been interned in Switzerland following the fall of France, General Sikorski refused French Marshal Philippe Pétains proposal of capitulation to Germany. On June 19, 1940, Sikorski met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and promised that Polish forces would fight alongside the British until final victory. Sikorski and his government moved to London and were able to evacuate many Polish troops to Britain. After the signing of a Polish-British Military Agreement on August 5, 1940, they proceeded to build up and train the Polish Armed Forces. Experienced Polish pilots took part in the Battle of Britain, where the Polish 303 Fighter Squadron achieved the highest number of kills of any Allied squadron. After the creation of the pro-German Vichy government in France and the ensuing split of French forces, the Polish Army in the United Kingdom and the Middle East became the second largest Allied army after that of the United Kingdom. (Sikorski M/I) This work is copyrighted. ... (Sikorski M/I) This work is copyrighted. ... Order of Virtuti Militari The Order of Virtuti Militari (Military Virtue) is Polands highest military decoration for valour in the face of the enemy, equivalent to the British Victoria Cross or the US Congressional Medal of Honor. ... Jan Zumbach. ... No. ... Philippe Pétain Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain (April 24, 1856 - July 23, 1951), generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain, was a French soldier and Head of State of Vichy France. ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS MP (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and politician, Churchill is generally regarded... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Ladowe) is the name applied to the Army branch of the Military Forces of Poland. ... A major campaign of World War II, the Battle of Britain is the name for the attempt by Germanys Luftwaffe to gain control of British airspace and destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... No. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later in Algiers. ...

Sikorski awards Virtuti Militari to wounded Polish pilot Popławski.

Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union ("Operation Barbarossa") in June 1941, General Sikorski was among the first to realize that the complexion of the war had drastically changed. Strongly encouraged by British Foreign Office diplomat Anthony Eden, Sikorski on July 30, 1941, opened negotiations with the Soviet ambassador to London, Ivan Maisky, to re-establish diplomatic relations between Poland and the Soviet Union, which had been broken off after the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939. Later that year, Sikorski went to Moscow with a diplomatic mission (including the future Polish ambassador to Moscow, Stanisław Kot, and chief of the Polish Military Mission in the Soviet Union, General Zygmunt Szyszko-Bohusz). Sikorski was the architect of the agreement reached by the Polish Government with the Soviet Union (the Sikorski-Maisky Pact of August 17, 1941), confirmed by Joseph Stalin in December of that year. Stalin agreed to invalidate the September 1939 Soviet-German partition of Poland, declare the Russo-German Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 null and void, and release tens of thousands of Polish prisoners-of-war held in Soviet camps. Pursuant to an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and Stalin, the Soviets granted "amnesty" to many Polish citizens, from whom a 75,000-strong army (the Polish II Corps) was formed under General Władysław Anders and evacuated to the Middle East, where Britain faced a dire shortage of military forces. The whereabouts of thousands more Polish officers, however, would remain unknown for two more years, and this would weigh heavily on both Polish-Soviet relations and on Sikorski's fate. (Sikorski M/I) This work is copyrighted. ... (Sikorski M/I) This work is copyrighted. ... Order of Virtuti Militari The Order of Virtuti Militari (Military Virtue) is Polands highest military decoration for valour in the face of the enemy, equivalent to the British Victoria Cross or the US Congressional Medal of Honor. ... Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22, 1941. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. ... Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG (June 12, 1897 - January 14, 1977), British politician, was Foreign Secretary during World War II and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1950s. ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronunciation: Maskvá  listen) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... Stanisław Kot (22 October 1885- 26 December 1975) was a Polish scientist and politician, member of the Polish Government in Exile. ... The Sikorski-Mayski Agreement was a treaty between Soviet Union and Poland signed in London on August 17, 1941. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Molotov (lower left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin (far right) The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact and formally known as the Treaty of Nonaggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a non-aggression treaty between Germany and... Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion) is an act of grace by which the supreme power in a state restores those who may have been guilty of any offence against it to the position of innocent persons. ... Polish II Corps Insignia. ... Władysław Anders Lt. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Sikorski (left) with Polish General Marian Kukiel, Clementine and Winston Churchill, and Polish ambassador Count Edward Raczyński.

Sikorski (right) visits base of the 300 Polish Bomber Squadron, in England, with (left) RAF Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal.

Nonetheless, it soon became clear to Sikorski that the Soviet Union still had post-war plans for Polish territories, involving concessions to which he had no mandate from his nation to accede. The Soviets began their diplomatic offensive after their first major military victory in the Battle of Moscow. In January 1942 the Soviets through diplomatic channels revealed their claims to the city of Lvov. On January 26 British diplomat Stafford Cripps informed General Sikorski that, from what he had privately learned in Moscow, Stalin planned to annex Germany’s East Prussia to Poland in the west, but also to considerably push westward Poland’s eastern frontier, along the lines of the Versailles concept of the Curzon Line. Sikorski commented: "In short, to push Poland over from east to west.[...] But that cannot be done without Polish consent." Sikorski insisted that there could be no question of Poland emerging from the war with territorial losses: "The principles of the Atlantic Charter and the terms of the Treaty of Riga alone may determine the eastern frontiers of Poland." His unyielding stance soon proved to be an increasing hindrance not only in Polish-Soviet relations, but also for the British-American-Soviet alliance. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt were increasingly torn among their commitments to their Polish ally, the uncompromising stance of Sikorski, and the demands — often verging on political extortion — by Stalin and his diplomats. Soviet intentions were made clear in a comment by Ambassador Ivan Maisky to Churchill, that Poland's fate was sealed as "a country of 20 millions next door to a country of 200 millions." Wladyslaw Sikorski and Winston Churchill 1943 Source: [1] This work is copyrighted. ... Wladyslaw Sikorski and Winston Churchill 1943 Source: [1] This work is copyrighted. ... Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel pseudonym: Marek Kąkol, Stach Zawierucha (b. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS MP (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and politician, Churchill is generally regarded... Edward Raczynski was the name of three members of Polish aristocratic familly Edward Raczyński (1786-1845) Polish conservative politician, protector of arts, founder of the Raczynski Library in Poznan Edward Aleksander Raczyński (1847-1926) grandson of E. Raczyński, foundator of famous Raczyński Art Gallery in Rogalin Edward Bernard Raczyński (1891... (Sikorski M/I) This work is copyrighted. ... (Sikorski M/I) This work is copyrighted. ... The 300th Land of Masovia Bomber Command (Polish 300 Dywizjon Bombowy Ziemi Mazowieckiej, Royal Air Force nomenclature ) was a Polish World War II bomber unit operating from airbases in the United Kingdom. ... RAF is an abbreviation for: Royal Air Force -- the Air Force of the United Kingdom (see also Air Ministry) Red Army Fraction (Rote Armee Fraktion) -- a German terror organisation Rigas Autobusu Fabrika -- a factory making buses in Riga, Latvia Rapid Action Force in India Rachunarski Fakultet RAF is also an... RAF Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal (left) and Polish Commander in Chief Władysław Sikorski (right) visit an airbase of the 300th Polish Bomber Squadron in England. ... The Battle of Moscow refers to the defense of the Soviet capital of Moscow and the subsequent counter-offensive against the German army, between October 1941 and January 1942, during the Great Patriotic War. ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lviv ( Львів in Ukrainian; Львов, Lvov in Russian; Lwów in Polish; Leopolis in Latin; Lemberg in German—see also cities alternative names) is a city in western Ukraine with 830,000 inhabitants (an additional 200,000 commute daily from suburbs). ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Rt Hon Sir Stafford Cripps Sir Richard Stafford Cripps (April 24, 1889 - April 21, 1952), British Labour politician, was born in London, the son of a Conservative member of the House of Commons who late in life, as Lord Parmoor, joined the Labour Party. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... Woodrow Wilson with the American Peace Commissioners The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 is the peace treaty created as a result of six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, which put an official end to World War I between the Allies and Central Powers. ... The Curzon line was a boundary line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a border between Poland, to the west, and Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine, to the east. ... Roosevelt and Churchill at their 1941 secret meeting in the North Atlantic, lasting August 9th through the 12th. ... The Peace of Riga (also known as the Treaty of Riga, Polish: Traktat Ryski) signed on 18th March 1921 between Poland and Soviet Russia ended the Polish-Bolshevik War. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS MP (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and politician, Churchill is generally regarded... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person obtains money, behaviour, or other goods and/or services from another by wrongfully threatening or inflicting harm to his person, reputation, or property. ...

Katyn and catastrophe

In 1943 the fragile relations between the Soviet Union and the Polish government-in-exile finally reached their breaking point when, on April 13, the Germans announced the discovery of the bodies of 4,000 Polish officers who had been murdered by the Soviets and buried in Katyn Forest, near Smolensk, Russia. Stalin claimed that the atrocity had been carried out by the Germans, while Nazi propaganda orchestrated by Joseph Goebbels successfully exploited the Katyn Massacre to drive a wedge between Poland, the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. When Sikorski refused to accept the Soviet explanation and on April 16 requested an investigation by the International Red Cross, the Soviets accused the Polish Government of cooperating with Nazi Germany and on April 26 broke off diplomatic relations with the Polish Government in London. The Soviet Union’s policies had at last become clear: Russia wanted the Baltic States, which Poland had always considered as being in her own sphere of interest; and wanted the Curzon Line border, which none of the Polish Government, least of all General Sikorski, was prepared to accept. It would mean the loss of about a third of Poland's territory. The Soviets had exploited the controversy over Katyn to sever relations with the London-based Polish Government, so as to clear the way for a postwar communist-sponsored Polish government which would yield unquestioningly to Russian demands. Stalin soon began a campaign for recognition by the Western Allies of a Soviet-backed puppet Polish government led by Wanda Wasilewska, a dedicated communist with a seat in the Supreme Soviet, with General Zygmunt Berling, commander of the 1st Polish Army in Russia, as commander-in-chief of all Polish armed forces. 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... The Katyń Forest Massacre, also known as the Katyn massacre, was the mass execution of Polish citizens by the Soviet Union during World War II. Initially, the expression referred to the massacre of the Polish officers from the Kozielsk POW camp in Katyn forest near the village of Gnezdovo, a... The view of Smolensk in 1912 Smolensk (Russian: Смоленск;, Belarusian: Смаленск) is a city in western Russia, located on the Dniepr river at 54. ... Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was Adolf Hitlers Propaganda Minister (see Propagandaministerium) in Nazi Germany. ... The Katyń Forest Massacre, also known as the Katyn massacre, was the mass execution of Polish citizens by the Soviet Union during World War II. Initially, the expression referred to the massacre of the Polish officers from the Kozielsk POW camp in Katyn forest near the village of Gnezdovo, a... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... Baltic states and the Baltic Sea The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a term which nowadays refers to three countries in Northern Europe: Estonia Latvia Lithuania Prior to World War II, Finland was sometimes considered, particularly by the Soviet Union, a fourth Baltic state. ... The Curzon line was a boundary line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a border between Poland, to the west, and Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine, to the east. ... A shadow government is a government-in-waiting that remains in waiting with the intent to take control of the government in response to some event. ... Wanda Wasilewska (1905– 1964) was a Polish novelist and politician. ... The Supreme Soviet (Верховный Совет, Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ... General Zygmunt Berling Zygmunt Henryk Berling (27 April 1896 - 11 July 1980), Polish general and politician, most known as the commander of the 1st Polish Army during the Second World War. ... Gen. ...

On July 4, 1943, while Sikorski was returning from an inspection of Polish forces deployed in the Middle East, he was killed when his plane, B-24 Liberator AL 523, crashed into the sea 16 seconds after takeoff from Gibraltar at 23:07 hours. He was buried in Newark, near Nottingham, England. On September 17, 1993, his remains would be transferred to the royal crypts at Wawel Castle in Kraków, Poland. July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft, and was used by most of the Allied air forces in World War II. Designed as a heavy bomber, it served with distinction not only in that... Newark is the name of several places. ... Nottingham is a city located in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of England. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Wawel Hill in Kraków Wawel (Polish Wzgórze wawelskie or for short Wawel) is the name of a lime hillock situated on the left bank of the Vistula in Kraków, Poland at an altitude of 228 metres above sea level. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Sikorski's Liberator, in the sea just off Gibraltar, following crash (1943).

Wladyslaw Sikorski plane crash 1943 Source: [1] This work is copyrighted. ... Wladyslaw Sikorski plane crash 1943 Source: [1] This work is copyrighted. ...

Aftermath

Sikorski's funeral in London.

Immediately after the crash, a Polish officer who had witnessed the event from the airstrip began sobbing quietly and repeating: "This is the end of Poland. This is the end of Poland." Without a doubt, as Sikorski had been the most prestigious leader of the Polish exiles, his death was a severe setback for the Polish cause, and doubtless convenient for Stalin. In some ways it was also convenient for the western Allies, who were finding the Polish question a stumbling-block to preserving good relations with Stalin. After the Soviets had broken off diplomatic relations with Sikorski's government in April 1943, in May and June Stalin had recalled several Soviet ambassadors for "consultations": Maxim Litvinov from Washington, Gusiev from Montreal, Ivan Maisky from London. In June, Stalin had also initiated secret negotiations with Germany (via the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow), which had led the western Allies to speculate about the possibility of the Soviets making a separate peace with Germany. While Churchill had been publicly supportive of Sikorski's government, reminding Stalin of his alliance with Nazi Germany in 1939 and their joint attack on Poland, in secret consultations with Roosevelt he admitted that some concessions would have to be made by Poland to appease the powerful Soviets. The Polish-Soviet crisis was beginning to threaten cooperation between the western Allies and the Soviet Union at a time when the Poles' importance to the western Allies, essential in the first years of the war, was beginning to fade with the entry into the conflict of the military and industrial giants, the Soviet Union and the United States. Wladyslaw Sikorski funaral 1943 Source: [1] This work is copyrighted. ... Wladyslaw Sikorski funaral 1943 Source: [1] This work is copyrighted. ... Western betrayal is a concept, particularly popular among several Central European nations (including Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia). ... Maxim Litvinov Maxim Litvinov (Макси́м Макси́мович Литви́нов (Maksim Maksimovič Litvinov), real name Макс Ва́ллах (Max Wallach, or Meir Genoch Mojsiejewicz Wallach-Finkelstein)) (July 17, 1876–December 31, 1951) was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th)  - Land 172,587 km²  - Water 12,237 km² (6. ... {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Concordia Salus (Salvation through harmony) Ville de Montréal, Québec, Canada Location. ... Molotov (lower left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin (far right) The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact and formally known as the Treaty of Nonaggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a non-aggression treaty between Germany and... Polish September Campaign Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign — also known as Polish-German War of 1939, in Poland often as Wojna obronna 1939 roku (Defensive War of 1939), in Germany as Polish Campaign...

General Sikorski's death marked a turning point in Polish influence. No Pole after him would have much sway with Allied politicians. The Allies had no intention of allowing his successor, Stanisław Mikołajczyk, to threaten the alliance with the Soviets. Poland, for whose freedom much of the world had ostensibly gone to war, was represented at neither the Teheran, Yalta or Potsdam conferences. Only four months after Sikorski's death, in November 1943, at Teheran, Churchill and Roosevelt agreed with Stalin that the whole of Poland east of the "Curzon Line" would be sacrificed to the Russians, even if it were contrary to the Atlantic Charter. In the summer of 1944, as the Polish Government in London had warned all along, the Soviet Government sponsored a Committee of National Liberation in Poland, which the Red Army was now "liberating." The Committee was recognized by the Soviet Government as the only legitimate authority in Poland, while Mikołajczyk’s Government in London, which had fought consistently at the Allied side on many fronts, and had organized a formidable underground Home Army (Armia Krajowa) in Poland as early as 1939, was termed by the Soviets an "illegal and self-styled authority." At the Potsdam conference in 1945, Churchill and Stalin settled the details of a new Polish Provisional Government in which the London Polish government-in-exile would have only minor influence, further diminished by the Red Army's support for the Polish communists. In the People's Republic of Poland, Sikorski's historic role, like that of all the adherents of the London government, would be minimized and distorted by propaganda, and those loyal to the government-in-exile would be liable to imprisonment and even execution. The Polish government-in-exile would continue in existence until the end of communist rule in Poland in 1990, when Lech Wałęsa became the first post-communist President of Poland, re-establishing the continuity of the Republic and in effect retrospectively recognizing the legitimacy of the wartime government-in-exile. Stanisław Mikołajczyk. ... From left to right, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill The Tehran Conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill between November 28 and December 1, 1943 that took place in Tehran, Iran. ... The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from February 4 to 11, 1945 between the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. ... Attlee, Truman, and Stalin at Potsdam The Potsdam Conference was held in Potsdam, Germany (near Berlin), from July 17 to August 2, 1945. ... Roosevelt and Churchill at their 1941 secret meeting in the North Atlantic, lasting August 9th through the 12th. ... Red Army flag The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya in Russian), the armed forces organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... The Armia Krajowa or AK (Home Army) functioned as the pre-eminent underground military organization in German-occupied Poland, which was active in all areas of the country from September 1939 until its disbanding in January 1945. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Peoples Republic of Poland (Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1989, during its period of rule by the Communist party, officially called the Polish United Workers Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, or PZPR). ... North Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the United States Capitol building. ... The Peoples Republic of Poland (Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1989, during its period of rule by the Communist party, officially called the Polish United Workers Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, or PZPR). ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lech Wałęsa (pronounced , born September 29, 1943, Popowo, Poland) was an Polish electrician, a trade union activist, a human rights activist and a politician. ...

Controversy surrounding Sikorski's death

In 1943 a British Court of Inquiry investigated the crash of Sikorski's B-24 Liberator and concluded that the probable cause was that the "aircraft [became] uncontrollable for reasons which cannot be established." Nevertheless, the political context of the event, coupled with a variety of curious circumstances, immediately gave rise to speculation that Sikorski's death had been no accident: that it may have been the result of a Soviet, British or even Polish conspiracy. Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft, and was used by most of the Allied air forces in World War II. Designed as a heavy bomber, it served with distinction not only in that...

Six weeks before the crash, while Sikorski had been at Gibraltar for the first time, en route to his Middle East inspection, a Polish government office in London received a phone call stating that Sikorski had been killed in a crash at Gibraltar; the call had been discounted as a prank, but has since led to speculation. It is often mentioned that two of Sikorski's previous planes had been subject to incidents. The November 30, 1942, forced landing at Montreal, Canada, was suspected to have been caused by sabotage. At Gibraltar, due to the special treatment accorded VIPs, there was uncertainty about who had in fact boarded the plane and about the exact cargo manifest — all leading to uncertainty as to the identity of the bodies recovered from the crash site. It has, moreover, been speculated that Sikorski might not have died aboard the plane but had been assassinated in his quarters prior to the flight along with members of his entourage. Some accounts state that Sikorski's body was recovered from the plane without evident injury, except that his face showed signs consistent with strangulation. Other accounts, however, mention a head wound. Since five bodies were never found and the bodies of several members of Sikorski's entourage were never positively identified, some conspiracy theorists postulate that they might have survived and been kidnapped to the Soviet Union. Among the putative kidnap victims was Sikorski's daughter, Zofia Leśniowska, who was reported in 1945 to have been spotted in a Soviet Gulag by a member of the elite Polish commandos (Cichociemni), Tadeusz Kobyliński. According to an article by Jan Kozłowski, Kobyliński attempted in 1945 or 1946 to gather Armia Krajowa personnel for a mission to rescue Leśniowska, but was captured at the border by Soviet agents and never heard from again. November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining, as the final day of November. ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Concordia Salus (Salvation through harmony) Ville de Montréal, Québec, Canada Location. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Gulag (Russian: ГУЛАГ  listen, an acronym for Главное Управление Исправительно— Трудовых Лагерей и колонии, Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-trudovykh Lagerey i kolonii, The Chief Directorate [or Administration] of Corrective Labour Camps and Colonies) was the branch of the Soviet internal police and security service that operated the penal system of forced... Symbol Silent and Dark Cichociemni (Polish for Silent and dark) were a secret unit of the Polish Army in exile created to maintain contact with occupied Poland during World War II The name Initially the name was informal and used only by the soldiers who volunteered to be dropped over... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Armia Krajowa or AK (Home Army) functioned as the pre-eminent underground military organization in German-occupied Poland, which was active in all areas of the country from September 1939 until its disbanding in January 1945. ...

Sikorski had requested a Czech officer, Eduard Prchal, to pilot the flight. Prchal, sole survivor of the crash, was known for never wearing his Mae West life preserver — but on this occasion, when rescued from the sea, he was wearing it. During the inquiry he denied this, and later blamed the inconsistency on post-crash shock having affected his actions and memory — essentialy, on amnesia. At about the same time as Sikorski's plane had been left unguarded at the Gibraltar airfield, a Soviet plane had been parked next to it. It carried Soviet ambassador Maisky and a retinue of a dozen or so unidentified officers and soldiers. It had been bound for the Soviet Union, with a stop at a rarely used African airfield instead of the nearby, commonly used airport at Castel Benito, near Tripoli. Eyewitnesses reported that at Gibraltar the Soviets had stayed at the same place as Sikorski, the Governor's palace; Maisky, however, in a 1966 interview said that he clearly remembered having stayed at the Gibraltar Fortress and not having been aware of Sikorski's presence on the Rock. Gibraltar's British Governor, Noel Mason-Macfarlane, a friend of Sikorski's who disliked Maisky, reportedly withheld knowledge from Maisky about Sikorski's presence in order to prevent any diplomatic incident. The Mae West was a common nickname of a Type B-4 life preserver (inflatable lifejacket), used during World War II by the Allies. ... A life preserver is a personal flotation device that can be deployed from a vessel or from land to provide an individual with a means of maintaining boyancy in water, thereby preventing drowning. ... Amnesia is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ... Tripoli (population 1 million, Arabic: Ţarabulus) is the capital of Libya. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... List of Governors of Gibraltar (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) See also Chief Minister of Gibraltar Categories: Politics of Gibraltar ...

In a recently-declassified briefing paper dated January 24, 1969, to the British Cabinet Secretary, Sir Burke Trend, Sir Robin Cooper, a former pilot employed in the Cabinet Office, wrote, after reviewing the wartime inquiry's findings: "Security at Gibraltar was casual, and a number of opportunities for sabotage arose while the aircraft was there." Although Sir Robin doubted that sabotage had taken place, or that the pilot had crashed the aircraft deliberately, he went on to add: "The possibility of Sikorski's murder by the British is excluded from this paper. The possibility of his murder by persons unknown cannot be so excluded." The inquiry's finding about the jammed airplane controls, he wrote, seemed plausible. "But it still leaves open the question of what — or who — jammed them. No one has ever provided a satisfactory answer." It is worth noting that the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service's counterintelligence for the Iberian Peninsula from 1941 to 1944 was Kim Philby, the Soviet double agent who would defect in 1963 and later claim to have been a double agent since the 1940s. Before 1941, Philby had served as an instructor with the Special Operations Executive, an organization specializing in sabotage and diversion behind enemy lines. January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Burke Trend was Secretary to the Cabinet under both Harold Wilson and Ted Heath between 1963 to 1973. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence [section] 6), or Her Majestys Secret Service or just the Secret Service, is the British external security agency. ... Counterintelligence or counter-espionage is the act of seeking and indentifying espionage activities. ... topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Harold Adrian Russell Kim Philby also H. A. R. Philby (January 1, 1912 – May 11, 1988) was a British traitor, a high ranking member of British intelligence, and lifelong spy for the Soviet Union. ... A double agent pretends to spy on a target organization on behalf of a controlling organization, but in fact is loyal to the target organization. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Special Operations Executive (SOE), often called the Baker Street Irregulars after Sherlock Holmess fictional group of spies, was a World War II organisation initiated by Winston Churchill in July of 1940 as a mechanism for conducting warfare by means other than direct military engagement. ...

Suspicions that Sikorski had been assassinated continued to surface throughout the war and afterward, reaching their height in 1968 with the London staging of a play, Soldiers, by the German writer Rolf Hochhuth. The play contained the sensational allegation that none other than Winston Churchill had been in on the plot. In early 1969 the Prime Minister of the British Labour Government, Harold Wilson, who was familiar with all the above evidence (much of which was then classified and unknown to the general public), asserted before the House of Commons: "There is no evidence at all that there is any need or reason to re-open the inquiry." 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Rolf Hochhuth (born April 1, 1931 in Eschwege/Werra) is a German author. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The Right Honourable James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, PC (March 11, 1916 – May 24, 1995) was one of the most successful Labour Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and a 1960s icon. ...

None of the allegations of conspiracy have ever been proven, and the fact that principal exponents of such theories have included revisionist historians such as David Irving and Rolf Hochhuth has disinclined many western historians to take them seriously. On the other hand, by 2000 only a small portion of British intelligence documents relating to Sikorski's death had been declassified. The majority of the files are to remain classified for the next "50 to 100 years." Revisionism is a word which has several meanings. ... David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) is a self-taught historian who, from the late-1960s to the mid-1980s, was a leading British author on World War II. Author of controversial works such as Hitler’s War and The Destruction of Dresden, Irving is also one of... Rolf Hochhuth (born April 1, 1931 in Eschwege/Werra) is a German author. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Polish contribution to World War II
• Polish Secret State
• Western betrayal

Poland: First to Fight (poster, 1939). ... Polish Secret State (also known as Polish Underground State; Polish Polskie Państwo Podziemne) is a term coined by Jan Karski in his book Story of a Secret State; it is used to refer to all underground resistance organizations in Poland during World War II, both military and civilian. ... Western betrayal is a concept, particularly popular among several Central European nations (including Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia). ...

References

About Władysław Sikorski:

• Generał Sikorski, premier, naczelny wodz (General Sikorski: Prime Minister, Commander in Chief), London, Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, 1981, ISBN 0902508091.
• Irving, David, Accident: the Death of General Sikorski, 1967, ISBN 0718304209.
• Waszak, Leon, and P. Lang, "Agreement in Principle: the Wartime Partnership of General Wladyslaw Sikorski and Winston Churchill," Studies in Modern European History, vol. 20, April 1996, ISBN 0820428493.
• Terry, Sarah Meiklejohn, Poland's Place in Europe: General Sikorski and the Origin of the Oder-Neisse Line, 1939-1943, Princeton University Press, 1983, ISBN 069107643X.
• Peszke, Michael Alfred, The Polish Underground Army, the Western Allies, and the Failure of Strategic Unity in World War II, foreword by Piotr S. Wandycz, Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Company, 2005.
• "A Charge of Murder," The Times, Oct. 20, 1967 (http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,902140,00.html), retrieved March 15, 2005.
• Baliszewski, Dawid, "Bransoletka Zofii" ("Zofia's Bracelet"), Tygodnik Wprost, no. 1152 (December 31, 2004) (http://www.wprost.pl/ar/?O=71300), in Polish, retrieved March 24, 2005.
• Mac, Jerzy Sławomir, "Gibraltarski łącznik," Tygodnik Wprost, no. 923 (August 6, 2000) (http://www.wprost.pl/ar/?O=2344), in Polish, retrieved March 24, 2005.

By Władysław Sikorski: David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) is a self-taught historian who, from the late-1960s to the mid-1980s, was a leading British author on World War II. Author of controversial works such as Hitler’s War and The Destruction of Dresden, Irving is also one of... Michael Alfred Peszke (born 1932, Dęblin, Poland) is a Polish-American psychiatrist and historian of the Polish Armed Forces in World War II. After the outbreak of World War II and the Soviet invasion of eastern Poland, Peszke, his mother Eugenia Halina Grębocka Peszke, and his father Alfred Bartłomiej Peszke...

• Regulamin musztry Związku Strzeleckiego i elementarna taktyka piechoty (Drill Regulations of Związek Strzelecki [the Riflemen's Association] and Basic Infantry Tactics), 1911.
• Nad Wisłą i Wkrą. Studium do polsko–radzieckiej wojny 1920 roku (At the Vistula and the Wkra [Rivers]: a Contribution to the Study of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920), 1923; latest edition, Warsaw, 1991.
• O polską politykę państwową. Umowy i deklaracje z okresu pełnienia urzędu prezesa Rady Ministrów 18 XII 1922 - 26 V 1923 (Polish National Policies: Agreements and Declarations from [My] Tenure as Prime Minister, December 18, 1922 – May 26, 1923), 1923.
• Podstawy organizacji naczelnych władz wojskowych w Polsce (Basic Organization of the Supreme Military Authorities in Poland), 1923.
• Polesie jako węzeł strategiczny wschodniego frontu (Polesie as a Strategic Node of the Eastern Front), 1924.
• La campagne polono-russe de 1920 ([French:] The Polish-Russian Campaign of 1920), 1928.
• Generał Władysław Sikorski: Publicystyka generała Władysława Sikorskiego na łamach Kuriera Warszawskiego w latach 1928-1939 (General Władysław Sikorski: Articles by General Władysław Sikorski in the Warsaw Courier, 1928-1939), Oficyna Wydawnicza Aspra, 1999, ISBN 8390893738.
• Polska i Francja w przeszłości i w dobie współczesnej (Poland and France in the Past and in the Present Day), 1931.
• Przyszła wojna – jej możliwości i charakter oraz związane z nimi zagadnienia obrony kraju (War in the Future: Its Capacities and Character and Associated Questions of National Defense), 1934; translated into French in 1934, and into English in 1943; latest edition Warsaw, MON, 1972.

External links

• The full text of David Irving's 1967 book on the death of Sikorski (http://www.focal.org/books/accident/1967.pdf)
• Tribute to General Wladyslaw Sikorski - Churchill and Estreicher (http://bolekchrobry.tripod.com/polishinformationcenter19391945/id24.html)
• Speculation in The Times, Jul 4, 2003 on who was behind the death of Sikorski and David Irving's reply (http://www.fpp.co.uk/History/Sikorski/Times040703.html)
• Special Edition of Kombatant Magazine 148 6/2003 on the occasion of the Year of General Sikorski, in Polish, PDF, has lots of photos (http://strona.udskior.gov.pl/kombatant/200306_spec.pdf)
• Statement of the Polish government in exile following the death of General Sikorski (1943) (http://www.republika.pl/unpack/1/dok01a.html)
• Polish forces in the west during World War II (http://home.golden.net/~medals/exile.html)

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Julian Ignacy Nowak (1865-1946) was a Polish politician who served as prime minister during 1922. ... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Poland. ... Categories: People stubs | 1874 births | 1945 deaths | Prime Ministers of Poland ... Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski (1885-1962) was a Polish general and a politician who served as the last Prime Minister of Poland before World War II. Categories: Politician stubs | 1885 births | 1962 deaths | Prime Ministers of Poland ... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Poland. ... Stanisław Mikołajczyk. ...