16 Facts About Gatot Soebroto

General Gatot Soebroto was an Indonesian general who began his military career with the Royal Dutch East Indies Army and rose to be deputy Army chief-of-staff.

Gatot Soebroto began his education at a Europeesche Lagere School, an elementary school for the children of Europeans, but was expelled for fighting with the Dutch children.

Gatot Soebroto then moved to a Hollandsch-Inlandsche School for Indonesians.

Gatot Soebroto did not continue his education after graduating from this elementary school but instead found a job.

In 1923, Gatot enrolled in a military school in Magelang.

In 1942, the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies, and Gatot Soebroto joined the Pembela Tanah Air, an army set up by the Japanese in case of invasion by the Allies.

Gatot Soebroto received training in Bogor, and was appointed commander of a company in Banyumas, then a battalion commander.

Gatot Soebroto was one of the group of ex-KNIL NCOs, which included future president Soeharto and future army chief of staff Ahmad Yani who joined the BKR, the forerunner of the Indonesian Army as soon as it was set up after the Indonesian Declaration of Independence on 17 August 1945.

Gatot Soebroto was involved in the suppression of the 1948 Madiun Revolt.

Central Java's III and IV divisions were merged, and Gatot Soebroto was appointed commander, although he was still in hospital then.

Gatot Soebroto was either placed on non-active status as a result of the incident or resigned from the military.

The party won four seats in the 1955 election, and Gatot Soebroto became a member of the Indonesian legislature representing Central Java.

Gatot Soebroto emerged as a "compromise candidate", but turned down the job as he was worried about being manipulated by other officers.

Gatot Soebroto told the cabinet that if they wanted a high-quality officer, they should recall Nasution to the post.

Later that year, Nasution and Gatot Soebroto decided against taking further action against Soeharto after his dismissal from the command of the Diponegoro Division following revelations of involvement in smuggling.

Gatot Soebroto died suddenly in Jakarta on 11 June 1962 and was buried in a Buddhist funeral ceremony in the village of Kalirejo Ungaran near Semarang.