General Soerdirman

General Soedirman was the first Great Commander in Indonesia. He was born on January 24, 1916 in  Purbalingga, Hindia Belanda (now Indonesia).  He studied at the Dutch Native School in Purwokerto, and then at a Muhammadiyah teacher training college in Surakarta. He worked as a teacher at the Muhammadiyah school in Cilacap.

During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War II, Sudirman trained to become a battalion commander in Peta, the "homeland defense" army made by the Japanese.

When Japan surrendered and Soekarno proclaimed Indonesian independence, he organized his Peta battalion into a Banyumas-based regiment of the Republican army to resist Dutch reoccupation of its former colony. The first major battle that he led was the Battle of Ambarawa against the British and the Dutch.  On 12 December he led a "coordinated attack" against British positions in Ambarawa, driving the British all the way to Semarang. The battle ended on 16 December.

Soedirman died in Magelang, 29 January 1950 at the age of 34. He was buried in Heroes' Cemetery in Semaki, Yogyakarta. He received the title of National Hero of Indonesia as an Independence Defender Hero. Soedirman was the first and the youngest General in Indonesia.