This article presents the military ranks of the entire Polish Armed Forces as well as the rank insignia used today. The system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used throughout history by the Polish Army. Some of the grades trace their name back to the Middle Ages, for instance the rank of chorąży literally means a flag bearer or an Ensign. Names of Polish ranks are often of foreign origin, like the ones introduced by the 17th-century mercenaries serving for the Polish Crown. These include the rank of kapral, which is a derivative of the Italian caporale - much like the English equivalent of corporal. As the structure of Polish rank names substantially differs from the English one, it seems more appropriate to give the U.S. or U.K. equivalent ranks, based on the common NATO codes, rather than to provide a literal translation which can lead to numerous misinterpretations.
Origins
Most rank titles are cognates to the ones in English, with some exceptions. Notably colonel'sliteral meaning is regimental-leader, likewise plutonowy means platoon-leader. Also, the title equivalent to petty officer is identical tothe word for boatswain, so a Bosman may or may not be a bosman. Until World War II, each of the branches of the Land Forces used a set of different names for the same grades. For instance a sergeant was called sierżant in the infantry, ogniomistrz in the artillery and wachmistrz in the cavalry. This is similar to the German army calling a cavalry officer which is equivalent to Hauptmann a Rittmeister Modern Polish military practices were heavily influenced by Prussian/German and Russian traditions, as most founding officers after 1918 independence were veterans of those respective armies.
Customs
The Polish language requires the use of a prior honorific before stating the addressee's rank e.g. 'Panie Kapitanie...'. This is directly equivalent to French practice where the possessive Mon is pre-pended to the addressee's rank. During the communist period use of the formal 'Pan' was frowned upon and 'Obywatel' was used. This has reverted to prior style in the post-communist era. It is customary to include other titles when referring to an officer in writing. This can lead to some interesting abbreviations. For example, a Lt. Col. in the airforce by the name Nowak who is a pilot and has an MSc in engineering would be written ppłk pil. mgr inż. Nowak. Uniquely, Polish forces use a two-fingered version of the salute, and the saluting custom does not allow saluting with the fingers to the head without having headgear on.
is the highest rank in the Polish Armed Forces. Note that unlike the remaining ranks, it does not belong to any particular service but to the armed forces as a whole. So far only six individuals have been promoted to this rank. With the death of the last surviving holder, Michał Rola-Żymierski in 1989 the rank of Marshal of Poland has been vacant.
Until 2004 the ranks of chorąży constituted a separate group, roughly corresponding to U.S. Warrant Officers. On July 1, 2004 the number of these ranks was reduced and they were included in the group of non-commissioned ranks.
Pay Grade changes on July 1, 2004
starszy chorąży/starszy chorąży marynarki: OR-8 to OR-9
młodszy chorąży/młodszy chorąży marynarki: OR-8 to OR-7
starszy Kapral/starszy mat: OR-3 to OR-4
On January 1, 2014 all reserve NCOs, holders of the rank of chorąży sztabowy / chorąży sztabowy marynarki and młodszy chorąży sztabowy / młodszy chorąży sztabowy marynarki were promoted to the rank of starszy chorąży sztabowy / starszy chorąży sztabowy marynarki; holders of the rank of starszy sierżant sztabowy / starszy bosman sztabowy and sierżant sztabowy / bosman sztabowy were promoted to the rank of młodszy chorąży / młodszy chorąży marynarki; and holders of the rank of starszy plutonowy / starszy bosmanmat were promoted to the rank of sierżant / bosman. Thus the ranks discontinued on July 1, 2004 were officially abolished in the Polish Armed Forces.
