Polish Armed Forces rank insignia

Most rank titles are cognates to the ones in English, with some exceptions. Notably ''colonel's literal meaning is regimental-leader, likewise means platoon-leader''. Also, the title equivalent to petty officer is identical to the word for boatswain, so a may or may not be a . 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 in the infantry, (literally master of fire) in the artillery and (from German , or Master of the Guards) 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. (Sir Captain...''). This is directly equivalent to French practice where the possessive is pre-pended to the addressee's rank. During the communist period use of the formal 'Pan' (Sir) was frowned upon and 'Obywatel' (Citizen) (as in: ) 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 (LtCol plt MEng 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 (cap/beret or helmet). From 2024, working dogs in the Polish Army could be given ranks up to . ==Commissioned officer ranks==

The rank insignia of commissioned officers. ==Other ranks==

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. == Obsolete ranks ==

Ranks discontinued on 1 July 2004 Other changes after July 1, 2004 Until 2004 the ranks of (OR-9 and OR-8) 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 • : OR-8 to OR-9 • : OR-8 to OR-7 • : OR-3 to OR-4 On January 1, 2014, all reserve NCOs, holders of the rank of and were promoted to the rank of ; holders of the rank of and were promoted to the rank of ; and holders of the rank of were promoted to the rank of . Historical Ranks in the Polish Armed Forces • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • == See also ==