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| Lieutenant General Willem Petrus Louw SSA SM | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1920-11-24)24 November 1920 Bloemhof, South Africa |
| Died | 4 July 1980(1980-07-04) (aged 59) |
| Buried | Voortrekkerhoogte, Pretoria, Gauteng, New Military cemetery 25°46′53″S 28°07′18″E / 25.78148°S 28.12166°E / -25.78148; 28.12166 |
| Allegiance |  Republic of South Africa |
| Service |  South African Army |
| Years of service | 1938–1975 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands |
|
| Wars | World War II |
| Awards |          |
Lieutenant-General Willem Petrus Louw SSA SM (Bloemhof, 24 November 1920 – 4 July 1980) was a South African military commander. He joined the South African Army in the Special Service Battalion in 1938, and served in Italy in World War II.
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 of 1 Parachute Battalion. 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 as a Brigadier and Chief of the Army from 1967 to 1973, and as Inspector-General of the South African Defence Force 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
Star of South Africa (1952) (SSA) – 1974
Southern Cross Medal (1952) (SM) – 1962
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
Union Medal
1939–45 Star
Italy Star
Defence Medal (United Kingdom)
War Medal 1939–1945
Africa Service Medal (WWII)
References
- ^ "LOUW Willem Petrus 1920-1980". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Els, Paul J WO1 (2010). We conquer from above. PelsA Books. ISBN 978-0-620-46738-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Nöthling, C.J.; Meyers, E.M. (1982). "Leiers Deur die Jare (1912-1982)" (Online). Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies (in Afrikaans). 12 (2): 89–98. doi:10.5787/12-2-631. ISSN 2224-0020. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- "Fact file: Chiefs of the SA Army". defenceweb.co.za. Defence Web. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
See also
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byMaj Gen Fritz Loots | Inspector General of the SADF 1973–1975 |
Post Abolished |
| Preceded byCharles 'Pop' Fraser | Chief of the South African Army 1967–1973 |
Succeeded byMagnus Malan |
| Preceded byBrig JH Burgher | OC Northern Transvaal Command 1966–1967 |
Succeeded byBrig FJ van Deventer |
| Preceded byCol JH Burgher | OC South African Military College 1964–1966 |
Succeeded byCol JW van Niekerk |
| New creation Regiment Founded |
OC 1 Parachute Battalion April 1961–1964 |
Succeeded byJan Fourie |
| Chiefs of the South African Army | ||
|---|---|---|
| List of South African military chiefs | ||
| Director-General of Land Forces |  | |
| Army Chief of Staff | ||
| Chief of the Army | ||