Govert Huijser
Govert Lambertus Johan Huijser (born February 6, 1931 in Surabaya , Dutch East Indies ; † January 5, 2014 in Roosendaal , Province of North Brabant ) was a general in the Dutch Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) and most recently between 1983 and 1988 as chief of the defense staff (chief Defensiestaf) military commander in chief of the Dutch armed forces (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht) .
Life
Huijser, who spent his youth in two camps in the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War , entered the Koninklijke Militaire Academie (KMA) in Breda as a cadet in 1949 and, after completing his three-year training, became a lieutenant officer in the infantry in 1952 . In the following years he was used in various units and took part in the fighting in Dutch New Guinea (Slag bij Vlakke Hoek) in 1962.
Later he was, among other things, as a lieutenant colonel in command of the 48th Panzer Infantry Battalion. After his promotion to brigadier general , he became commander of the 13th Panzer Infantry Brigade , before becoming major general commander of the 1st division “7. December “became. This major military unit was named after a speech that Queen Wilhelmina had given in London on December 7, 1942 , in which she imagined the formation of a unit made up of soldiers from the Netherlands, Indonesia , Suriname and Curaçao .
After his promotion to lieutenant general , Huijser became the commanding general of the 1st Army Corps in 1980 . In July 1983 he was promoted to General of the Infantry and, as successor to General of the Artillery Cor de Jager, Chief of Defense Staff and thus military commander in chief of the armed forces. He held this position for five years until December 1988 and was then replaced by General of the Pioneers Peter Graaff . Most recently, between 1986 and 1988, he was also an extraordinary adjutant (adjudant in buitengewone dienst) to Queen Beatrix .
After his retirement, Huijser got involved in numerous organizations and was, among other things, Chairman of the Pension and Payments Council (PUR) of the Foundation for Services to Veterans (Stichting Dienstverlening Veteranen) , the predecessor organization of today's Veterans Institute. He was also chairman of the Association of Resistance Fighters and Victims of World War II and of the Association of Victims of Bersiap , the first phase of the Indonesian War of Independence .
Awards
Huijser has received several awards for his many years of service and was among other things Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau and Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion . For his military services he received the Nieuw-Guinea Herinneringskruis 1962 , the Four Day Cross for participating in the Nijmegen March three times and the badge for 35 years of service as an officer.
Furthermore, he received the Grand Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and was also a Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Belgium , commander of the Legion of Merit and the Legion of Honor .
Web links
- Oud-CDS Huijser (82) overleden obituary on the homepage of the General Association of Reserve Military Members (page accessed on May 13, 2014)
- Generaal bd Govert Huijser overleden Obituary on the homepage of the Veteranenistitut (page accessed on May 13, 2014)
- General Huijser overleden . In: De Telegraaf of January 8, 2014
- Oud-generaal Govert Huijser (82) overled . In: Nederlands Dagblad of January 8, 2014
- Oud-generaal Huijser overleden . In: NOS of January 8, 2014
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Huijser, Govert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Huijser, Govert Lambertus Johan (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch general, former supreme commander of the Dutch armed forces |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 6, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Surabaya , Dutch East Indies |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th January 2014 |
| Place of death | Roosendaal , North Brabant Province |