Aleksander Kawałkowski (1899–1965) was a Polish soldier and diplomat. He joined the Polish armed forces (Polska Organizacja Wojskowa) in 1915, and then the recreated Polish Army in 1918. During the time of the Second Polish Republic

Second Polish Republic

The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...

, he was a lecturer in the Oficerska Szkoła Inżynieryjna (Officer's School of Engineering) military academy, a member of the Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne (Military History Bureau), and a member of the Ministry of Religion and Education. From 1934 to 1936 he was a Polish military attaché

Military attaché

A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...

 in Paris and then became Polish consul general in Lille

Lille

Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

, France. After the fall of France during the Nazi invasion, he was active in the Polish underground in France during World War II. After the liberation of Paris

Liberation of Paris

The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...

 in 1944, he joined the Polish government in exile

Polish government in Exile

The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...

 at the rank of minister.

In the Polish Army, he reached the rank of podpułkownik (Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

).