Mudalovers, must be familiar with this figure, namely General Sudirman, one of the heroes of the national revolution who played an important role for the Indonesian nation.
It is not surprising that many biographies of General Soedirman immortalize his service in the struggle for Indonesia. The story of General Soedirman’s struggle is indeed very inspiring to know.
General Sudirman is a figure respected by his troops in Indonesian history as a hero of the National Revolution. He had a very big role during the revolution to win Indonesia’s independence from Dutch colonialism. General Soedirman then became the first commander and first General of the Republic of Indonesia with the youngest age, namely 31 years.
Behind his courage, General Soedirman turned out to have a calm personality in solving problems to find a solution, was persistent, and was very firm in upholding his principles.
That is why he is known as a tough and tireless fighter. There are many other things that can be learned from General Soedirman, Mudalovers can get to know him through the following biography of General Soedirman:
Biography of General Sudirman
General Soedirman’s real name is Raden Soedirman, who was born on January 24 1916 in Purbalingga, Central Java Province.
General Soedirman’s parents were Mr Karsid Kartawiraji, a sugar factory worker in Kalibagor, Banyumas and Mrs Siyem who was a descendant of Wedana Rembang. He has one brother, namely Muhammad Samingan. His wife is Alifah and with her he is blessed with 7 children.
General Soedirman was left behind by his parents, he was raised by his uncle Raden Cokrosunaryo who was a sub-district head in Rembang Purbalingga so that he could live a more decent and established life. At that time, Raden Cokrosunaryo did not have children, so he adopted General Sudirman as his son. Together with his uncle, the General received a proper education from a young age.
When he was 7 years old, he went to school at Hollandsch Inlandsche School (HIS) which then continued to Taman Siswa when he was 8 years old. Then he was transferred again to Wirotomo School because Taman Siswa was considered by the Dutch to be an illegal institution the following year.
Young Sudirman was known as a child who was devout in worship, diligent in studying, and diligent in understanding the Islamic religion from Raden Muhammad. He then got the nickname Haji because of his religious knowledge and often lectured in front of Muslims at that time.
After his uncle died, the General was devastated by the departure of his adoptive parents. He also had to experience very poor economic problems, luckily he was still allowed to go to school at Wirotomo without paying.
Thanks to his intelligence, he survived and continued to hone his skills. General Soedirman finally started to take part in establishing an Islamic organization when he was still a teenager, namely Hizbul Wathan which belongs to the Muhammadiyah Organization. Because of his dedication from an early age, General Soedirman was finally given the trust to lead the organization at the Cilacap branch.
General Soedirman’s leadership spirit had emerged since he was young, so that people respected and respected the General. He also continued his studies at Kweekschool (a special school for prospective teachers) although in the end it was not completed due to cost problems. General Soedirman returned to Cilacap and taught Muhammadiyah elementary school teachers there.
His personal teacher, Muhammad Kholil, was the one who appointed Sang Jendram to become a teacher at the Hollandsch Inlandsche School (HIS).
In Cilacap, the General also met his sweetheart, Alifah, his wife, who was the daughter of a rich batik entrepreneur, namely Raden Sosro Atmojo.
In the Dutch era, General Sudirman was not yet known as a fighter, according to Hatta, the General was known by people as a teacher. Mudalovers can also learn about the life story of General Soedirman through Soedirman’s book which contains a history of his life, struggles and love.
Organizations Followed by General Soedirman
General Soedirman’s biography shows that the General’s role apart from being a teacher was that he was active in organizing Muhammadiyah youth. During the Japanese occupation in 1942, his teaching activities were restricted by Japan and the school where he taught was used as a Japanese military post.
General Soedirman successfully negotiated with the Japanese government so that he could still teach native children there, even with limited and minimal learning equipment. During the Japanese colonial period it also worsened the economy and welfare of Indonesian society at that time.
Due to his active involvement, the General was finally appointed as chairman of the Japanese-formed Residency Council in 1944. Since then, General Soedirman began to be active in the military world and joined PETA, after which he went to study military in Bogor. After graduating from military education, General Soedirman joined the Kroya battalion.
His activities in the military led General Sudirman to meet Sukarno and Hatta and was assigned to oversee the surrender process of Japanese soldiers in Banyumas, precisely after he established the local division of the Indonesian People’s Security Agency at that time.
Since that incident, General Sudirman’s troops were made into Division V by Oerip Soemohardjo, who at that time was interim commander. Meanwhile, General Soedirman became commander in chief for division V or the Banyumas area with the rank of Colonel right after the formation of the People’s Security Army (TKR) or BKR.
After that, at the TKR Conference on November 2 1945, the General was elected as the first Commander in Chief of the TKR or Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
Even though he had not yet been officially appointed as commander, General Soedirman was quick to order his troops to attack the British and Dutch troops in Ambarawa. Because of his actions, the people became even stronger in supporting the General’s struggle.
This great role led to Soedirman being given the rank of General who was appointed by President Soekarno on December 18 1945, which Mudalovers can also read in the book General Soedirman: An Example of a Modest Leader.
General Sudirman’s Military Career
A leader who is good at negotiating is the right name for General Soedirman. Before being ordered by Japan, General Soedirman had already been trusted by the Dutch government to provide military training for native soldiers.
During the Japanese colonial period, the General was then trusted to lead an organization formed by Japan called Syu Sangi Kai to maintain the security of the Indonesian people from allied attacks. These organizations include Defenders of the Homeland (PETA).
Becoming a member of PETA was the beginning of General Soedirman’s story in his involvement in the military struggle and the formation of the Indonesian army. The General then underwent training in Bogor as Force II.
Because of his potential in military training, General Soedirman was finally appointed as commander assigned to the Kroya Banyumas Battalion, Central Java Province with complete weapons and equipment.
Thanks to the responsibilities he carried, General Soedirman became chairman of the People’s Security Agency (BKR) and Lieutenant Colonel Commander of Regiment I Division I of the Banyumas Residency People’s Security Army (TKR).
On 12 November 1945, General Soedirman was appointed General Supreme Commander of the TKR and Commander in Chief of the TKR on 18 December 1945. His military career continued brilliantly until he attained the rank of General Commander in Chief of the Indonesian People’s Army (TRI) on 25 May 1946 and became General Commander in Chief of the National Army. Indonesia is the first. The General’s greatness was recognized by the Indonesian people at that time.
When Amir Syarifudin became Minister of Defense, he overruled General Sudirman, who demoted him to Commander of Mobile Combat under the Minister of Defense.
Then, after the Second Dutch Military Aggression, General Soedirman presented a letter of objection regarding the ceasefire agreement to the President. As a result of this letter, the General had to be relieved of his duties as Commander in Chief of APRI and dismissed from the army.
Because the President and Vice President strongly objected to the General’s decision, General Soedirman finally gave up his intention to leave the Indonesian military. Find the complete story in General Soedirman’s book below.
The following is a brief summary of General Sudirman’s military career:
- MAP Batch II in Bogor
- Daidanco Kroya, Banyumas, Central Java Province
- Chairman of the Banyumas Residency People’s Security Agency, Central Java Province
- Lieutenant Colonel Commander of Regiment I Division I of the People’s Security Army (TKR)
- Colonel Commander of Division V TKR Banyumas, Central Java Province
- General Supreme Commander TKR on November 12 1945
- General Commander in Chief of TRI on May 25 1946
- General Commander in Chief TNI
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General Soedirman’s struggle for Indonesia
Studying General Soedirman’s biography would be incomplete without discussing his struggle for the Indonesian nation. This general was a witness to various failed diplomatic efforts made by Indonesia against the Dutch government at that time, which always wanted to colonize.
The first diplomatic failure was the Linggarjati Agreement, in which General Soedirman took part. Apart from that, the failure of the Renville Agreement required Indonesia to return the territory taken during the First Dutch Military Aggression to the Netherlands and required General Soedirman to withdraw his 35 thousand troops.
The Roem Royen negotiations also involved the role of General Soedirman because it was related to the military and the domestic rebellion attempt in 1948 from the G30S PKI incident in Madiun.
Of all the agreements with the Dutch, General Soedirman continued to urge Sukarno to continue the guerrilla war because he did not believe that the Dutch would actually fulfill their promises.
However, at that time Soekarno refused and made the General very upset and made him fall ill. General Soedirman suffered from Tuberculosis (TB) because he was infected while fighting in November 1948, which caused his right lung to be deflated.
Oerip’s death in 1948 also worsened the General’s condition. He had wanted to resign from the Indonesian military but Soekarno refused because it could cause instability in the country’s struggle at that time.
After General Soedirman left the hospital on December 19 1948, the Dutch launched their second military aggression. The serious illness he was suffering from apparently did not prevent the General from continuing to fight against the Dutch.
General Soedirman finally went to the South with a small group and his personal doctor to carry out guerrilla warfare for seven months in dire conditions, namely on a stretcher with minimal and minimal medical equipment.
Their troops were discovered by the Dutch, but they managed to escape to Sobo near Mount Lawu from Dutch pursuit. General Soedirman led the military in Java, including continuing to command the March 1 1949 General Attack in Yogyakarta against the Dutch led by Lieutenant Colonel Soeharto.
His condition became increasingly serious and he had to withdraw from the battlefield against the Dutch directly in the field. His tenacity against the Dutch was greatly admired by his troops and gave them great motivation to continue fighting the Dutch. Mudalovers can also read the complete story about the character Soedirman in the book Soedirman, A Commander, A Martyr.
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The death of General Sudirman
General Soedirman’s illness became worse after forcing himself to continue guerrilla fighting against the Dutch. His increasingly deteriorating condition apparently did not make General Soedirman give up on recovering.
The General continues to diligently check in with Panti Rapih Hospital in Yogyakarta to fight against his illness. While he was being treated at the Pakem Sanatorium in December 1949,
General Soedirman received happy news because the Dutch finally recognized Indonesia’s sovereignty through the United Republic of Indonesia on December 27 1949. The general was finally transferred to Magelang to receive more intensive treatment.
However, the General’s medical efforts were unsuccessful, exactly 1 month after Indonesia’s independence from the Netherlands, General Soedirman died due to the illness he suffered on January 29 1950.
There was a convoy of troops with four tanks and 80 Indonesian military motorized vehicles that accompanied General Soedirman’s funeral at the Semaki Heroes’ Cemetery, Yogyakarta. General Soedirman’s departure was crowned as the departure of the hero who defended independence.
The Indonesian people were devastated and lost a great hero, thousands of people even gathered along the 2 kilometer stretch to watch the General’s funeral procession.
Indonesian people also flew red and white flags at half-mast to honor General Soedirman’s departure on the day of his death. The traces of his struggle later became the esprit de corps for the Indonesian army, namely his very brave guerrilla tactics.
The 100 kilometer guerilla war route that General Soedirman once carried out has also become a military training zone for Indonesian cadets who have not yet graduated from the military academy. The story of General Soedirman’s struggle is eternal for the Indonesian people, to the point that his name has been used as the name of many streets, buildings, universities and museums.
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The General was later declared an Indonesian National Hero on December 10 1964 by President Soekarno. In 1997 General Sudirman was awarded the posthumous title of Great General by Soeharto, where only three people in Indonesia have held this title to date.
So, that’s a short story from General Soedirman’s biography that Mudalovers needs to know.
Does Mudalovers increasingly admire this Great TNI General? Exactly, emulating the positive values of the nation’s heroes is a wise way for the nation’s generation to appreciate the history of their nation.
His struggle deserves to be appreciated and is something that will inspire the nation’s future generations to continue to protect the nation they have fought for. That is why we as the next generation of the Indonesian nation must recognize the nation’s heroes so that we do not neglect our own nation.
The nation’s heroes provide many lessons and motivation to continue moving forward and become better individuals as citizens.
Mudalovers can visit the mudabicara article collection at Mudabicara.com to get references about other figures. The articles in Mudalovers can give Mudalovers a clear picture of the struggle and what other figures have done.
So Mudalovers friends will gain broader knowledge about the history of the Indonesian nation, especially from the perspective of General Sudirman’s struggle. Have a good study.