Biography

of
Indonesia
n National
Heroes

By : Meiliana Auranda
Air Vice-Marshal Abdul Halim Perdanakusuma (18 November 1922 14
December 1947 ), better known as Halim Perdanakusuma, was an
Indonesian airman and National Hero of Indonesia
 Opleidingschool voor Inlandsche
Ambtenaren

Departemen Informasi Angkatan Laut

Belanda

Perdanakusuma was born in Sampang, Madura, Dutch East Indies, on 18 November 1922.
After ettending elementary and middle school at schools for native Indonesians, he
attended the Opleidingschool voor Inlandsche Ambtenaren ( a school for the training of
native officials) in Magelang. However he dropped out in his second year and joined the
Naval Academy of Surabaya to answer the Dutch colonial governments call for militia.
 Avro
Lancasters

Royal Canadian Air

Force

At the time of the Japanese invasion of the Indies in 1942, against which he had been trained to fight,
Perdanakusuma was in Britain, training in navigation with the Royal Canadian Air Force; a part of hi training, the
flew on 44 missions throughout Europe, including flying Avro Lancasters in bombing missions over Nazi Germany
 World War II

Tentara Keamanan
Rakyat

After the end of World War II, Perdanakusuma returned to newly independent Indonesia. He
joined the nascent military (then called the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat; Military for the Peoples
Safety) under Commodore Suryadi Suryadarma; together with Agustinus Adisucipto and Abdul
Rahman Saleh, he was taked with organizing to Indonesian Air Force.
In early 1947 Perdanakusuma was promoted to air commodore and tasked with establishing a branch of the air
force in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra; to complete his task he penetrated the Dutch blockade of the island. Air
Officer Iswahyudi was also tasked to assist with managing the base. At the time, the various air units in Sumatra
were managed individually and under the command of the army ; Perdanakusuma and Iswahyudi proceeded to
unite them into their own branch
On 17 August 1947, he led paratroops into Borneo. That December, Perdanakusuma was
ordered to fly to Thailand with Iswahyudi to pick up medical supplies. On their return trip
on 14 December, the Avro Anson they were flying stalled, leading it to crash outside of
Tanjung Hantu, Malaysia, killing both. Perdanakuuma body was originally buried in Lumut,
Malaysia, but later relocated to Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in 1975.
THANK YOU