Lieutenant-General Willem Petrus Louw (Bloemhof,
24 November 19204 July 1980)
was a
South African military commander. He joined the
South African Army
The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...
in the
Special Service Battalion
The Special Service Battalion (SSB) is a South African military unit formed on 1 May 1933 under the patronage of Oswald Pirow, Minister of Defence. The object was to give training to youths, between the ages of 17 and 23, who, in the wake of th ...
in 1938,
and served in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Military career
After enlisting as a private, he served as an NCO in the Technical Service Corps (SAOC)
and was seconded to the South African Infantry. In 1943 he attended a Candidate Officers' course and was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the
South African Army Armoured Corps. He was transferred to the
6th Armoured Division and deployed to the Middle East and Italy.
After the war, he served in various posts and in 1959 became Officer Commanding
North West Cape Command In 1960 he attended a Parachute Instructors' course in England. He was promoted to Commandant (Lieutenant Colonel) in January 1961 and in April 1961 became the founder and first
commanding officer
The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...
of
1 Parachute Battalion
1 Parachute Battalion (''Ex Alto Vincimus'') is the only full-time paratroop unit of the South African Army. It was founded on 1 April 1961, along with the Parachute Battalion. The name of this unit was changed to Parachute Training Centre aft ...
. He was promoted to Colonel in 1964 and appointed OC of the Military College in
Voortrekkerhoogte.
In 1966 he served as OC
Northern Transvaal Command
Northern Transvaal Command was a command of the South African Army. It was active from 1959 to mid 2000 when it was disestablished. Formerly it was named Northern Command from 1946 to 1959.
History Origins Union Defence Force Military Districts ...
as a Brigadier and ''Chief of the Army'' from 1967 to 1973,
and as Inspector-General of the
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: ''Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag'') comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Fo ...
from 1973 to 1975.
After a re-organisation of the SADF, the position of Inspector General was abolished and he retired on 31 March 1975.
Awards and decorations
* 1974
* 1962
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References
See also
*
List of South African military chiefs
This article lists the South African military chiefs. From 1958 until the 1994 South African general election, first democratic general election in 1994, the present-day South African National Defence Force was known as the South African Defenc ...
*
South African Army
The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louw, Willem
1920 births
1980 deaths
Afrikaner people
South African people of Dutch descent
South African military personnel of World War II
Chiefs of the South African Army
People from Bloemhof