May coup 1926: Piłsudski lay on a couch while fighting raged

The military coup of 12 May 1926 proved to be a trial that overwhelmed Józef Piłsudski. At the crucial moment when fratricidal fighting was occurring on the streets of Warsaw, the Marshal was paralyzed by the situation and remained inactive on a couch for some time. The May coup determined the further fate of the Second Polish Republic and made Piłsudski an informal leader of the state.