Pieter Grobbelaar

General Pieter Grobbelaar, SSA, DSO (16 September 1908 – 22 June 1988)[2] was a South African military commander. He served as Army Chief of Staff from 1953 to 1958, and Commandant General of the South African Defence Force from 1961 to 1965.

Pieter Hendrik Grobbelaar
Born(1908-09-16)16 September 1908
Porterville, Cape Colony[1]
Died22 June 1988(1988-06-22) (aged 79)
AllegianceSouth Africa
Service/branchSouth African Army
Years of service1933–1965
RankGeneral
Commands heldCommandant General of the South African Defence Force
Army Chief of Staff
South African Military College
Northern Transvaal Command
Orange Free State Command
7th Reconnaissance Battalion
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsStar of South Africa
Distinguished Service Order

Military career

Grobbelaar joined the South African Army as a part-time Citizen Force soldier in 1929 and became a full-time Permanent Force member in 1933.[3]:92

During the Second World War, Grobbelaar commanded the 7th Reconnaissance Battalion as a lieutenant colonel, and was second-in-command of the 12th Motorised Brigade, 6th Armoured Division during the Italy.[1]

After the war, Grobbelaar served as Officer Commanding Orange Free State Command, Northern Transvaal Command and the South African Military College.[3]:93

Grobbelaar served as Army Chief of Staff from 1953 to 1958, as Inspector-General from 1958 to 1959, as Deputy Commandant-General from 1959 to 1960, and as Commandant General of the South African Defence Force from 1961 to 1965.[4]

References
  1. Who's Who of Southern Africa 1964. Wootton & Gibson (Pty) Ltd. 1964. p. 367.
  2. "GROBBELAAR Pieter Hendrik 1908–1988". eggsa.org.
  3. 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.
  4. Leon Engelbrecht. "Fact file: Chiefs of the SANDF, past and present". defenceweb.co.za.
Military offices
Preceded by
Stephen Melville		 Commandant General of the South African Defence Force
1961–1965		 Succeeded by
Rudolph Hiemstra
Preceded by
Hendrik Klopper		 Army Chief of Staff
1953–1958		 Succeeded by
Nick Bierman
Preceded by
Harry Cilliers		 Commandant South African Military College
1950–1952		 Succeeded by
Petrus Jacobs
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