Bambang Soegeng

Soegeng was born on 31 October 1913 in the village of Tegalrejo, Magelang, as the eldest of six children. He attended a Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS, primary school equivalent) in Purwakarta and later a MULO in Purwokerto. He later graduated from an AMS in Yogyakarta, where he had studied western literature. He enrolled at Batavia's Rechts Hogeschool, but did not complete his education due to financial pressures.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=88}}

After dropping out of Rechts Hogeschool, Soegeng found work as a cleric for the colonial government's Department of Internal Affairs, before later working at the local government at Temanggung Regency.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=88}}{{cite book|authorlink=T. B. Simatupang |last1=Simatupang |first1=T. B. |title=Report from Banaran: Experiences During the People's War |date=2009 |publisher=Equinox Publishing |isbn=978-602-8397-55-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oj3mPNGxDbAC&pg=PT48 |language=en}}

During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Soegeng joined the Japanese-founded Defenders of the Homeland (PETA), where he was part of the 2nd battalion, based in Magelang, as a company commander. In this battalion, several later notable personnel who served under him include Ahmad Yani and Sarwo Edhie Wibowo. He was promoted to battalion commander and reassigned to Gombong.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=88}}{{cite web |last1=Isnaeni |first1=Hendri F. |title=Pengikat Angkatan Darat |url=https://historia.id/militer/articles/pengikat-angkatan-darat-P3B7v |website=Historia |date=24 April 2012 |access-date=3 December 2019 |language=id}}

Following the surrender of Japan, Soegeng moved to Temanggung where he formed a regiment for the People's Security Agency (BKR) for the Temanggung and Wonosobo area, which was organized under Sudirman's fifth division.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=89}} He was appointed a lieutenant colonel, and he managed to disarm the Japanese garrison without significant incident and took the Japanese soldiers as prisoners of war with little issue.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=89}} He undertook a guerilla campaign in Central Java and West Java, and led operations against criminal militia groups.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=90}}

Soegeng assisted Gatot Soebroto in maintaining order in Surakarta during a period of disturbance in 1948,{{sfn|Anderson|1976|p=18}} and by the time of the Madiun Affair, Soegeng was the military governor of the Yogyakarta-Kedu-Wonosobo region.{{sfn|Anderson|1976|p=50}} Following a "rationalization" of the army in 1948, he was made a colonel and he was appointed a divisional commander. He was the superior officer of Suharto at the time, and Soegeng gave approval to the General Offensive of 1 March 1949, which resulted in a significant Indonesian political victory.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=90}}

File:Bambang Sugeng Suara Rakyat 21 Dec 1952 p1.JPG

After the revolution concluded, Soegeng became the military commander for Kodam V/Brawijaya which covered East Java,{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}} between June 1950 and October 1952.{{cite journal |title=Indonesian Army Territorial Commanders 1950-March 1983 |journal=Indonesia |date=1983 |volume=35 |issue=35 |pages=109–124 |doi=10.2307/3350868 |issn=0019-7289|jstor=3350868|hdl=1813/53760 |hdl-access=free }} During the 17 October affair in 1952, Soegeng was on sick leave, and a power struggle occurred between his subordinates which resulted in the temporary acting commander, Lt. Col. Suwondho, being arrested and dismissed.{{sfn|Feith|2006|pp=266-267}} Soegeng, who was at the time still inactive yet considered a politically moderate and competent officer, was appointed acting Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army on 15 December 1952 replacing Abdul Haris Nasution.{{sfn|Feith|2006|pp=269-270}} Due to his illness during the coup attempt, he was seen as uninvolved in the incident, and he was considered as an acceptable compromise replacement for Nasution.{{sfn|McVey|1971|p=150}} He was a Major General at the time of his appointment.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}}

The early weeks of his tenure saw a clash with the politicians in Jakarta, when he attempted to appoint Joop Warouw as the regional commander for East Indonesia. This decision, upheld by the Wilopo Cabinet, caused the resignation of its Defence Minister Hamengkubuwono IX.{{sfn|Feith|2006|pp=269-270}} The Cabinet then reversed its stance in order to prevent further ministerial resignations and attempted to appoint another officer, Col. Sadikin, but this was countered by Soegeng also threatening to resign. Soegeng's resignation was rejected, and Sadikin did not indicate readiness for this appointment, resulting in Warouw maintaining his post without immediate further resignations.{{sfn|Feith|2006|pp=269-270}} Soegeng was considered a sympathizer of the Indonesian National Party.{{sfn|Feith|2006|p=272}}{{sfn|Nishihara|1976|p=156}} Even with Soegeng's appointment, the East Java division was still dissatisfied, and in one occasion when Soegeng accompanied Wilopo on a trip to the Kodam's headquarters, they were greeted by tanks instead of the leaders and an empty headquarter office.{{sfn|Feith|2006|p=290}}

Soegeng once again threatened to resign in December 1953, when the Defense Minister at the time, Iwa Kusumasumantri, made several controversial appointments to the Army General Staff. Several of the territorial commanders responded to Soegeng's threat by demanding Iwa's resignation, but they were eventually convinced to back down and Soegeng withdrew his resignation once more, accepting the new appointees.{{sfn|Feith|2006|p=396}} Apart from these issues, Soegeng's time as Chief of Staff also saw the initiation of the numerical registration of army soldiers, and Soegeng himself was registered with the code 10001.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}}

In February 1955, Soegeng attended a large conference of Army leaders and signed off the "Yogyakarta Charter", which called for unity in the Army in response to the split following the 17 October affair.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}}{{sfn|Feith|2006|p=398}} Shortly afterwards, however, Soegeng submitted his third resignation on 2 May, which was accepted after nine days.{{sfn|Feith|2006|p=398}} Soegeng had felt that he was unable to implement the resolutions in the charter,{{sfn|Feith|2006|p=398}} furthered by the lack of government response to the demands.{{sfn|McVey|1971|p=156}}

Between 15 August 1956 and 1959, Soegeng was assigned as the Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See.{{cite book |title=Asia Who's Who |date=1958 |page=278 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pJpAAQAAIAAJ&q=bambang+sugeng+vatican |language=en}} He then became the Ambassador to Japan starting in October 1960.{{sfn|Nishihara|1976|p=156}} During his time in Japan, Soegeng negotiated war reparations to Indonesia for the Japanese occupation,{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}} and later successfully persuaded the Japanese government to not allow the Dutch aircraft carrier HNLMS Karel Doorman to stop over in Yokohama, and lobbied for the Japanese to take Indonesia's side in the Western New Guinea dispute.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}}{{sfn|Nishihara|1976|p=159}} After his tenure in Japan, Soegeng later became ambassador to Brazil until 1965.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}}

Soegeng died on 22 June 1977, due to a lung illness.{{cite news |last1=Bahaweres |first1=Rach Alida |title=Kisah Jenderal Tak Dikenal |url=http://arsip.gatra.com/2010-04-27/majalah/artikel.php?pil=23&id=137336 |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=Gatra |date=27 April 2010 |language=id}} In accordance with his request, he was not buried at a Heroes' Cemetery, and was instead buried in Temanggung at the banks of the Progo River where several hundred pemuda had been massacred in 1949.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=91}} A monument was erected at his burial site in 1985.{{sfn|Kasmadi et al.|1986|p=86}} His posthumous rank was lieutenant general.{{cite web |title=SARASEHAN PEMBERIAN GELAR |url=http://laman.temanggungkab.go.id/berita/detail/201110/812/sarasehan-pemberian-gelar.html |website=temanggungkab.go.id |access-date=4 December 2019 |language=id |date=11 October 2011}} Soegeng has been proposed as a National Hero of Indonesia.{{cite news |title=Sarwo Edhie dan Bambang Sugeng Belum Disahkan |url=https://jateng.tribunnews.com/2013/11/09/sarwo-edhie-dan-bambang-sugeng-belum-disahkan |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=Tribun Jateng |date=9 November 2013 |language=id-ID}} Multiple roads in Central Java and the Yogyakarta Special Region are named after him.{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/Jl.+Bambang+Sugeng/@-8.032749,110.199368,8.66z|title=Jl. Bambang Sugeng|access-date=4 December 2019}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=David Charles |title=The Military Aspects of the Madiun Affair |journal=Indonesia |date=1976 |volume=21 |issue=21 |pages=1–63 |doi=10.2307/3350956 |issn=0019-7289|jstor=3350956|hdl=1813/53613 |hdl-access=free }}
• {{cite book |last1=Feith |first1=Herbert |title=The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia |date=2006 |publisher=Equinox Publishing |isbn=978-979-3780-45-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_VAH0W9uxoqoC |language=en}}
• {{cite book |title=Monumen perjuangan Jawa Tengah |date=1986|last1=Kasmadi|first1=Hartono|last2=Sugito|first2=A.T.|last3=Wijono|last4=Slamet |publisher=Ministry of Education and Culture |url=http://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/12675/1/MONUMEN%20PERJUANGAN%20JAWA%20TENGAH.pdf|language=id|ref={{harvid|Kasmadi et al.|1986}}}}
• {{cite journal |last1=McVey |first1=Ruth |title=The Post-Revolutionary Transformation of the Indonesian Army |journal=Indonesia |date=1971 |volume=11 |issue=11 |pages=131–176 |doi=10.2307/3350748 |issn=0019-7289|jstor=3350748|hdl=1813/53507 |hdl-access=free }}
• {{cite book |last1=Nishihara |first1=Masashi |title=The Japanese and Sukarno's Indonesia: Tokyo-Jakarta Relations, 1951-1966 |date=1976 |publisher=University Press of Hawaii |isbn=978-0-8248-0379-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2weAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}

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{{s-bef | before = Abdul Haris Nasution }}

{{s-ttl | title = Indonesian Army Chief of Staff | years = 1952–1955 }}

{{s-aft | after = Zulkifli Lubis }}

{{s-dip}}

{{succession box | before = Jahja daeg Nompo Mohammad
Chargé d'affaires | title = Ambassador of Indonesia to the Holy See | years = 1956-1959 | after = Busono Darusman
Chargé d'affaires}}

{{succession box | before = Asmaun | title = Ambassador of Indonesia to Japan | years = 1960-1964 | after = Harsono Reksoatmodjo}}

{{succession box | before = Abu Hanifah | title = Ambassador of Indonesia to Brazil | years = 1964-1965 | after = Syarief Thayeb}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Soegeng, Bambang}}

Category:1913 births

Category:1977 deaths

Category:Ambassadors of Indonesia to Brazil

Category:Ambassadors of Indonesia to Japan

Category:Ambassadors of Indonesia to the Holy See

Category:Chiefs of staff of the Indonesian Army

Category:Indonesian generals

Category:Members of Pembela Tanah Air

Category:People from Magelang Regency

Category:People of the Indonesian National Revolution