Oerip Soemohardjo

Who was Oerip Soemohardjo?

General Oerip Soemohardjo was an Indonesian general and the first chief of staff of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

Born in Purworejo, Dutch East Indies, Oerip was a mischievous child who exhibited leadership skills from an early age. His parents wanted him to follow in the steps of his maternal grandfather and become a regent, therefore after elementary school Oerip was sent to the School for Native Government Employees in Magelang. His mother died during his second year at the school, and Oerip left to undertake military training in Meester Cornelis, Batavia. After graduating in 1914, he became a lieutenant in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, the army of the Dutch colonial government. During almost 25 years of service he was stationed on three different islands and promoted several times, eventually becoming the highest-ranking native officer in the country.

Oerip resigned from his position in about 1938 after a disagreement with the regent of Purworejo, where he had been stationed. He and his wife Rohmah then moved to a village near Yogyakarta, where they established a large flower garden and villa. After Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940 Oerip was recalled to active duty. When the Empire of Japan occupied the Indies less than two years later, Oerip was arrested and detained in a prisoner-of-war camp for three and a half months. He spent the rest of the occupation at his villa.