Sudirman

Infobox Military Person
name=Sudirman
lived=January 24, 1916 - January 29, 1950
placeofbirth=Rembang, Indonesia
placeofdeath=Magelang, Indonesia


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=Indonesia
serviceyears=1945-1950
rank=General, posthumously promoted to General of the Army (five-star general) in 1997.
commands=Battalion Commander in Kroya
Division commander of Divisi V/Banyumas
Supreme Commander of TKR/TNI
unit=
battles=Indonesian National Revolution
awards=Independence Defender Hero ("Pahlawan Pembela Kemerdekaan")
relations=
laterwork=General Sudirman (January 24, 1916 - January 29, 1950; also spelled Soedirman) was the military commander of Indonesian forces during the country's fight for independence from the Dutch in the 1940s.

Biography

Sudirman was born in Bodas Karangjati village, Rembang, Purbalingga, Central Java, 24 January 1916. He studied at the Dutch Native School in Purwokerto, and then at a Muhammadiyah teacher training college in Surakarta. He worked as a teacher at the Muhammadiyah school in Cilacap.

During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War II, Sudirman trained to become a battalion commander in Peta, the "homeland defense" army promoted by the Japanese.cite book| last =Friend| first =Theodore| authorlink =| coauthors =| title =Indonesian Destinies| publisher =The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press| date =2003| location =| pages =p.35| url =| doi =| id =ISBN0-674-01834-6 ] When Japan surrendered and Sukarno proclaimed Indonesian independence, he organized his Peta battalion into a Banyumas-based regiment of the Republican army to resist Dutch reoccupation of its former colony. The first major battle that he led was the Battle of Ambarawa against the British and the Dutch (November-December 1945). [ [http://www.tokohindonesia.com/ensiklopedi/s/sudirman/index.shtml Jenderal Sudirman (1916-1950)] ] On 12 December he led a "coordinated attack" against British positions in Ambarawa, driving the British all the way to Semarang. The battle ended on 16 December. [ [http://www.kebudayaan.depdiknas.go.id/BudayaOnline/SeniBudaya/Sejarah/PERANG/n_Jawa-tengah.htm Peristiwa Perlawanan - Pertempuran Ambarawa] ]

On 12 November 1945 he was elected Commander-in-chief of the Army, a position he held until his death. During much of the next five years he was sick with tuberculosis, but led several guerrilla actions against the Dutch. He led the resistance to the Dutch attack on Yogyakarta, then the Republic of Indonesia's headquarters, in December 1948. Theodore Friend (2003) describes him as having "...a strangely blended samurai discipline, Marxist disposition, and raw courage."

Sudirman died in Magelang, 29 January 1950 at the young age of 35. He was buried in Heroes' Cemetery in Semaki, Yogyakarta. He received the title of National Hero of Indonesia as an Independence Defender Hero. Sudirman was the first and the youngest General in Indonesia

Cultural impact

*There are a considerable number of statues and memorials to Sudirman in Yogyakarta and other cities.
*Most Indonesian cities have a major street named "Jalan Jenderal Sudirman" (General Sudirman Street). [ [http://www.surabaya.go.id/budaya.php?page=jend_sudirman Monumen Jendral Sudirman] , Surabaya city government.]
*A university in Purwokerto is named after him: University of General Soedirman (Unsoed) [http://akademik.unsoed.ac.id/home/Index] .

References

General references and further reading

* Said, Salim,"Genesis of power : General Sudirman and the Indonesian military in politics, 1945-49" / Salim Said. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1992. ISBN 1-86373-195-4 : First published: Singapore : Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1991.

* Tjokropranolo "Panglima Besar TNI Jenderal Soedirman pemimpin pendobrak terakhir penjajahan di Indonesia"::English Translation - "General Sudirman : the leader who finally destroyed colonialism in Indonesia" translated by Libby Krahling, Bert Jordan & Steve Dawson ; edited by Ian MacFarling. Canberra, A.C.T. : Australian Defence Studies Centre, 1995. ISBN 0-7317-0322-7

* Indonesia ministry of state. 30th independence of Indonesia. 1981

Notes

External links

* [http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/museum-and-monument/sasmitaloka/ Sasmitaloka Museum, Visiting The Home of a Guru ] at www.yogyes.com Museum based on Sudirman
* [http://www.geocities.com/amemorikaze/indonesia4.htm AmeMoriKaze -- History of Indonesia -- Tropical Fury 2 ] at www.geocities.com Second section about Sudirman
* [http://www.tokohindonesia.com/ensiklopedi/s/sudirman/index.shtml Jenderal Sudirman (1916-1950) - Panglima dan Jenderal Pertama RI] , [http://www.tokohindonesia.com/ Ensiklopedia Tokoh Indonesia]