What is Edward Śmigły-Rydz?
{{no sources|date=January 2022}} {{sections|date=January 2022}} '''Edward Śmigły-Rydz''' was an important leader of [[Poland]]. He was born on March 11, 1886 in Bereschany, which is now Berezhany, [[Ukraine]], but was then in the Austro-Hungarian part of Poland. (At the time, the country was divided between [[Austria|Austria-Hungary]], [[Germany]] and [[Russia]].) [[File:Rydz-Śmigły propaganda.jpg|thumb|A poster with Śmigły-Rydz and the Polish white eagle.]]He studied painting in [[Kraków]] and became a painter. During the [[World War I|First World War]], he joined [[Józef Piłsudski]]'s Polish Legions, which fought for Polish independence. Piłsudski greatly respected Śmigły-Rydz and made him general of the Polish Army. After Piłsudski died in 1935, Śmigły-Rydz became the new leader of Poland. When the [[World War II|Second World War]] broke out in 1939, he defended his country against the invading Germans and [[Soviet Union|Soviets]]. Since Poland lost, he had to leave the country. However, he returned to Poland secretly and led a resistance group against the Germans. He died in [[Warsaw]] on December 2, 1941. [[Category:1886 births]] [[Category:1941 deaths]] [[Category:Polish military people]]