Soerjadi Soerjadarma

Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Elang Soerjadi Soerjadarma (EYD: Suryadi Suryadarma) (6 December 1912 – 16 August 1975) was the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces from 1959 to 1962 and the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force from 1946 to 1962.

Biography Early life Born with the name Elang Soerjadi Soerjadarma, he was the son of Raden Suryaka Suryadarma who worked as a bank employee in Banyuwangi. Elang is a nobility title in the Keraton Kanoman, Cirebon, which means Raden. His name was later adjusted to the new spelling system to become Raden Suryadi Suryadarma.

He had a lineage from the Kanoman Palace, Cirebon. His great-grandfather was Prince Jakaria alias Aryabrata from Kanoman Palace. While his grandfather was Doctor Prince Boi Suryadarma who lived in Kuningan, West Java, he graduated from the Javanese Doctor's School (STOVIA). Suryadarma had been since a child orphan, when he was left by his biological mother, and his father died when Suryadarma was about four years old. After his parents died, Suryadarma joined his grandfather's family in Batavia.

After graduating from KW III School, he was unable to immediately pursue pilot training, because the requirement to become a pilot was to be a military officer first. To become a military officer, he took officer education at the KMA (Koninklijke Militaire Academie), Breda, the Netherlands.

Pre-independence period The Aviation School (Vliegschool) in Kalijati opened registration for the Netherlands East Indies Army. He initially failed the selection process because he had malaria and was having a relapse. The next year, he applied again, but was rejected because he had not recovered from his malaria. Only on the third occasion, he passed the medical test and began pilot education at the Kalijati Aviation School, in December 1937.

He was accepted as a navigator but Suryadarma was said to be a talented aviator but was not able to, because he was a Pribumi. In July 1938, he was enrolled in Observer School (Waarnemerschool), then in July 1939 he was assigned as a navigator at Glenn Martin 139 bomber group in Andir Airfield, Bandung. Suryadarma was appointed instructor at Pilot and Observer School (Vlieg en Waarnemerschool), Kalijati in January 1941. In December 1941 he was reassigned to a bomber unit, 7e Vliegtuig Afdeling, Reserve Afdeling Bommenwerpers. During the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies that began in December 1941, he served as Deputy Commander of the 7e Afdeling with the rank of Luitenant-Waarnemer.

Unlike many of his counterparts in the colonial air force who fled to Australia during the Japanese occupation, Suryadarma chose to stay in the East Indies. Through invitation of Police Commissioner Yusuf, he worked as a police officer in the Japanese occupation authorities. Later he was appointed Head of Administration of Police Headquarters in Bandung until the proclamation of Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945.

He played a role in the negotiations for the takeover of KNILM/KLM to become Garuda Indonesia Airways (GIA) in the 1950s and the pilots came from the first batch of graduates of the Air Force Aviation Officers School. In addition, Suryadarma also initiated a program for pilots and civil aviation crews becoming officers and non-commissioned officers of the Air Force reserve - a practice adopted from Aeroflot, whose staff formed part of the reserve of the Soviet Air Forces. Civilians involved in civil aviation were also appointed officers with a titular rank in the reserves.

On 19 January 1962, Suryadarma was forced to resign from his position as Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force as a result of the Battle of Arafura Sea - during the then ongoing Operation Trikora - in which Commodore Yos Sudarso died, as the Indonesian Air Force at was deemed insufficient in providing air protection to the Indonesian Navy from attacks by Royal Netherlands Air Force aircraft flying from Papuan bases. His position as Chief of Staff was replaced by Air Marshal Omar Dhani on the same day, effectively retiring after 16 years of service to the air force as the first Air Chief Marshal in Indonesia's military history.

Suryadarma died at 05.45 WIB on Saturday, 16 August 1975. His body was then buried at the funeral home and at the Indonesian Air Force Headquarters, Jalan Gatot Subroto. His funeral was held on 17 August at 13.00 WIB at the Karet Public Cemetery, Jakarta, with a military ceremony led by Air Force Chief of Staff, Air Chief Marshal Saleh Basarah, who previously served under him as a air officer and was former air officer commanding the Air Education, Training and Doctrine Command.

Awards National awards

Foreign awards

Footnotes