Edward Rydz-Smigly (1886-1941) was the last Marshal of the Second Republic.
On September 1, 1939, after Germany invaded Poland, President Moscicki appointed Smigly-Rydz as Commander-in-Chief. All political parties supported him, but he rejected proposals to form a government of national salvation. In the initial phase of the war, he commanded personally, making decisions on retreat and defense, among other things. His plans, including organizing a defense in southeastern Poland, were thwarted by the rapid advance of German troops and the entry of the USSR on September 17. He then ordered the withdrawal of troops to Romania and Hungary, forbidding fighting the Red Army unless it attacked first.
On September 18 Smigly-Rydz crossed the border into Romania and was interned. In October 1939, he resigned as Commander-in-Chief, and General Wladyslaw Sikorski took over his duties. In Romania, he remained under surveillance and was not allowed to contact Polish authorities.
In December 1940, he escaped internment and tried to return to occupied Poland through Hungary, using false names. He lived in various localities and planned to create an underground organization, the Fighting Poland Camp.
On October 27, 1941, he crossed the border and arrived in Warsaw, where he lived conspiratorially. At the end of November he fell seriously ill and died on the night of December 1-2, 1941.
His life, in addition to his concern for his homeland, was also accompanied by an addiction that was memorialized in a number of period photographs. Among them is the one presented above, from the Central Digital Archive, showing an identical cigarette pack.
As a leading figure of the Republic, the State Tobacco Monopoly prepared special, dedicated cigarettes. Not available for sale to the general public.
Preserved original paper and box with representation of eagle wz.27 and marshal's mace.
In the box 5 cigarettes with the monogram of the CEE.
Box made of navy blue plastic (Bakelite?) with silver / silver plated application with marshal insignia and eagle. Cracked with losses. On the inside, PMT (State Tobacco Monopoly) monogram imprinted in four corners.
Dimensions: 18 x 9 x 2.8 cm.
