Get to know the figure of General Soedirman

Get to know the figure of Soedirman, the War General highly respected by President Soekarno

Indonesia has one of the best war generals in history. He was General Soedirman, whom even President Soekarno respected very much. He was even used as his right hand in fighting to save this country from the Dutch who wanted to return to colonize, assisted by allied soldiers. General Soedirman fought tooth and nail to make Indonesia continue to be independent and recognized by the international community.

Let's take a moment to get to know and remember this meritorious figure in Indonesia. Without him, Indonesia will fall and return to the lap of the Netherlands. Even though they became independent in 1945, the Dutch still "insisted" on wanting to control Indonesia. And this is the story of the life and struggle of the famous General Soedirman.

General Soedirman and Soeharto

Smart Youth Who Live Away from Parents

Since birth, General Soedirman did not live with his parents. He lived with his mother's brother, Raden Cokrosunaryo, who was a district head at the time. General Soedirman also received the title Raden because Cokrosunaryo considered him his own son. Since childhood, he was educated very well by his adoptive parents. He was sent to school to become a very intelligent young man.

General Soedirman and Soeharto

From childhood until he was 18 years old, General Soedirman was never told who his real parents were. He only knew that Cokrosunaryo was a father who loved him sincerely. After knowing this fact, General Soedirman was finally allowed to live again with his family even though in the end he was more active in studying after his real father died.

A Devout with High Nationalism.

Since childhood, General Soedirman was often taught about obedience to religion. Inevitably he always prays on time. In fact, he is often nicknamed "Haji" by his friends who attend Indigenous schools (Hollandsch Inlandsche School). This obedience continues to increase along with new knowledge and also guidance from his teachers.

President Soekarno and General Soedirman

During school, General Soedirman was taught a lot about what nationalism meant. From here, a very high sense of nationalism was nurtured. He is a young man who wants to fight for this country. In fact, he is willing to do what he can to make a big enough change.

Become a Strong Master and Spread the Fighting Spirit

In his eighth year of school, General Soedirman finally continued his education at Wirotomo. It was at this school that his views on colonialism rose sharply. General Soedirman learned a lot of new things ranging from science, and mathematics, to Indonesian and Dutch which were spoken very fluently. When he was 19 years old he started teaching at Wirotomo although, in the end, he had to continue his studies at Kweekschool.

Unfortunately, the lecture period from General Soedirman had to end after a year. He has no more money to pay tuition fees which is quite suffocating. Finally, with a heavy heart, General Soedirman returned to Cilacap and taught at the Muhammadiyah elementary school which made him increasingly known and recognized by many people.

The intelligence possessed by General Soedirman made a girl named Alfiah smitten. Finally, General Soedirman married Alfiah who was the son of the richest batik entrepreneur in the area. From this marriage, General Soedirman was blessed with 3 children named Didi Praptoastusi, Didi Sutjiati, and Titi Wahjuti Setyaningrum.

Become a Member of PETA Formed by Japan

General Soedirman was once a member of PETA which was an army formed by Japan. He was appointed commander and tasked with recruiting many young people in his area to join PETA. The Japanese trained Soedirman along with other native children to fight in the hope of being able to fight and dispel the Allied troops who had begun to intensively hunt down the Japanese wherever they were.

The upheaval of PETA troops in other areas made General Soedirman's subordinates join in the rebellion. They even killed one Japanese. Knowing this, General Soedirman made sure that his men were not killed as a condition for ending the rebellion. The Japanese agreed to this even though they eventually sent them to concentration camps and were put to work roughly.

Began to be trusted as a war leader

After being exiled to a concentration camp, General Soedirman and his men fled to Jakarta. They knew that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed and that Indonesia's independence could be obtained right away. He met Soekarno and was told to describe himself as a member of the Banyumas branch of the People's Security Agency. From here the struggle of General Soedirman continued. Even making him the most trusted person in Indonesia by Soekarno.

General Soedirman's military career went up drastically. In fact, he was aligned with military officials who were more senior than him. General Soedirman's endless tenacity and struggle made him shine even more. Even the title of General was embedded in his name as the highest award this country could give him.

The Great Guerrilla War

One of the most famous of General Soedirman's is the guerrilla war that he did. He traveled hundreds of kilometers to develop the best war strategy for the Netherlands and the allies. The war strategies devised by General Soedirman ultimately benefited Indonesia.

General Soedirman on a stretcher during the guerrilla war

The guerrilla war carried out by General Soedirman made the Dutch numb. They don't know that Indonesia is capable of making such a great strategy. What was done by General Soedirman was welcomed by many people in Indonesia. Without this war, the fate of Indonesia may still be hanging in the balance.

The general who died young for his people

During the guerrilla attack, General Soedirman was already seriously ill. He had tuberculosis which damaged his lungs. Knowing this, he continues to fight for the sake of making this country recognized by the world. His struggles finally paid off. On December 27, 1949, the Netherlands officially recognized Indonesian sovereignty.

Death of General Soedirman

A month later after Indonesia was officially recognized as sovereign. This great general finally died. The severe illness that befell him apparently took his life quickly. He has not even had the chance to enjoy the country he has defended so hard that he is finally recognized by the international community.

This is a bit of the life story of the great General Soedirman. Even though he finally died at a young age, he brought big changes to Indonesia. And we all have to pay the greatest respect to him by loving this Indonesian nation from the shackles of the colonialists and national traitors.