28 Facts About Oerip Soemohardjo

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

Oerip Soemohardjo received several awards from the Indonesian government, including the title National Hero of Indonesia in 1964.

Oerip Soemohardjo's mother died during his second year at the school, and Oerip left to undertake military training Koninklijke Militaire Academie in Meester Cornelis, Batavia.

Oerip Soemohardjo resigned from his position in about 1938 after a disagreement with the regent of Purworejo, where he had been stationed.

Oerip Soemohardjo spent the rest of the occupation at his villa.

Oerip Soemohardjo was the first son born to Soemohardjo, a headmaster and son of a local Muslim leader, and his wife, the daughter of Raden Tumenggung Widjojokoesoemo, the regent of Trenggalek; the family later had two more sons, Iskandar and Soekirno, as well as three daughters.

In reply, Widjojokoesoemo wrote that Sidik should be renamed Oerip Soemohardjo, which means "alive".

Oerip Soemohardjo went there directly from Magelang, and told his brothers to inform their father, who disapproved of his son's choice.

In Banjarmasin he had convinced his commander to strike an ordinance forbidding non-Dutch officers from joining the football team, and by 1917 Oerip Soemohardjo had received equal legal status with Dutch officers.

In Malinau, Oerip Soemohardjo patrolled the border between the Dutch East Indies and the British-controlled Kingdom of Sarawak ; he worked to prevent conflicts and headhunting among Dayak tribes.

One day, seven years after arriving in Borneo, Oerip Soemohardjo returned from patrol to find his home had been burned down.

Fully recovered, in 1923 Oerip Soemohardjo was stationed in his hometown, Purworejo.

In September 1925 Oerip Soemohardjo was transferred to Magelang to serve in the, a gendarmerie.

Also in Magelang, Oerip Soemohardjo took on his father's name, which he used as a family name for dealing with the Dutch.

In Meester Cornelis, Oerip Soemohardjo began running training exercises; while stationed in Batavia, his father died.

Oerip Soemohardjo was promoted to major at that time, which made him the highest-ranking native officer in the KNIL.

In mid-1938, after a disagreement with the local regent, Oerip Soemohardjo was told to transfer to Gombong; he refused, then left the KNIL and moved to his parents-in-law's home in Yogyakarta.

At his villa, named KEM, Oerip Soemohardjo often received guests, both military and civilian, from whom he received information about current events and to whom he gave advice regarding military matters and politics.

Several native officers were stationed in northern parts of the Indies during 1941 in preparation for an expected attack by the Empire of Japan, although Oerip Soemohardjo stayed in Cimahi.

Oerip Soemohardjo took confiscated Japanese weapons from well-equipped forces and distributed them as needed.

Divisional commanders from Sumatra, who had voted unanimously, swayed the vote in Sudirman's favour; Oerip Soemohardjo had lost votes because some of the division leaders distrusted his history with the KNIL and the oath he had taken to the Dutch motherland upon graduation.

Together, Sudirman and Oerip Soemohardjo were able to address many of the differences between former KNIL and PETA troops.

Oerip Soemohardjo was set to handle day-to-day operations of a downsized army, while the Ministry of Defence was given greater bureaucratic power.

Oerip Soemohardjo preferred guerrilla tactics to formal military conflicts, once telling a subordinate that the best attack would be one with a hundred snipers hidden behind enemy lines.

Disgusted with what he perceived as the government's lack of trust in the military, Oerip Soemohardjo tendered his resignation, although he continued to serve as an advisor to the Minister of Defence, Vice President Hatta.

Oerip Soemohardjo received numerous awards from the national government posthumously, including the Bintang Sakti, Bintang Mahaputera, Bintang Republik Indonesia Adipurna, and Bintang Kartika Eka Pakci Utama.

Oerip Soemohardjo brought a chalice dedicated for Oerip from Pope Paul VI inscribed "".

Several streets are named after Oerip Soemohardjo, including in his hometown of Purworejo, nearby Yogyakarta, and the capital at Jakarta.