born May 20, 1881, Tuszów Narodowy, Pol., Austria-Hungary
died July 4, 1943, Gibraltar
Polish general and politician.
He served in the Austrian army and in World War I was head of the Polish Legion, which joined with Austria against Russia. He served as prime minister of Poland (192324) and as minister of military affairs (192425). From 1928 he joined the opposition to the government controlled by Józef Pilsudski . After the German invasion of Poland (1939), he became prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile. When he asked Joseph Stalin to allow the Red Cross to investigate the Katyn Massacre , Stalin broke off Soviet-Polish diplomatic contact. Sikorski died in an airplane crash several months later.