General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (; Warsaw, 19 November 1885 – 11 October 1969, Arundel, Quebec) was a Polish independence fighter, general, diplomat, and architect.
He was a major political figure and an accomplished commander, notable in particular for his contributions during the Polish–Soviet War and World War II. After the death of General Władysław Sikorski in July 1943, Sosnkowski became Commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces.
Sosnkowski was an intellectual who was able to speak Latin, Greek, English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.
Early years
Born in Warsaw, Sosnkowski grew up in the Russian Partition of Poland. His father, Józef Sosnkowski of the Godziemba coat of arms, was a wealthy nobleman and owner of several villages. His mother was Zofia Drabińska. In 1896 he attended the V Gimnasium (secondary school) in Warsaw, where he participated in a secret organization of progressive youth. To avoid persecution he moved in 1904 to Saint Petersburg, where in 1905 he finished the XII Gimnasium. The same year he passed the entrance exam to the Department of Architecture at Warsaw Polytechnic. In 1906, a boycott of the school by the students was declared and the polytechnic was closed, which prevented Sosnkowski from studying there.
Polish Socialist Party and paramilitary organizations
Already in 1904, having met Józef Piłsudski, the future leader of Poland, and influenced by him, Sosnkowski joined the Polish Socialist Party (PPS). In February 1906, he participated in the VIII Congress of the PPS in Lwów. Sosnkowski joined the Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party and quickly advanced there. He became the commandant of the organization's Warsaw District. He led a series of attacks on Russian police posts. In 1907, he enrolled as a student at Lwów Polytechnic. At that time he led the military works of the Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction. He became close to Piłsudski. He was criticized in the PPS for his risky tactics, which caused him to be pursued by the tsar's secret police. He hid in Radom and then in the Dąbrowski Basin (Zagłębie Dąbrowskie), where he also led the Combat Organization's districts. In Lwów, his studies were interrupted by his intense political involvement. In 1908, he became a member of the main council of the Union of Active Struggle (Związek Walki Czynnej). Sosnkowski implemented socially radical elements in the program of the new organization, but Piłsudski wanted them removed. In 1910, the union created paramilitary units the Riflemen's Association (Związek Strzelecki) (in Lwów) and Strzelec (in Kraków). After the Riflemen's Association was formed as a legal front, Sosnkowski became its chief of staff. He readily accepted Piłsudski's idea of fighting on the side of Austria-Hungary in the emerging world conflict. In 1914, he finished his studies of architecture but the war prevented him from taking final exams.
Military and political career
World War I
Following the outbreak of World War I, Sosnkowski participated in Piłsudski's formation of the Polish Legions. When the 1st Brigade of the legions was formed, Sosnkowski served as Pilsudski's chief of staff and second-in-command. He led troops at the Battle of Łowczówek and in several other encounters. On 10 May 1916 Sosnkowski became a colonel, and on 26 September of that year he took over the command of the 1st Brigade. During the Oath crisis, Piłsudski instructed the Polish Legion to refuse to swear an oath of allegiance to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Sosnkowski was arrested on 22 July 1917 and, along with his commander, imprisoned in Magdeburg. They were both freed on 8 November 1918, when the process of restoration of Poland's independence was nearly complete.
Independent Poland
Sosnkowski and Piłsudski returned to Warsaw on 10 November 1918. Sosnkowski, at that time the second most prominent military personality in Poland, became commander of the Warsaw District. From March 1919, Sosnkowski was deputy minister for military affairs in the Second Polish Republic. Between August 1920 and February 1924, he was minister for military affairs.