Willem Louw
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Willem Louw SSA SM (1920-1980) was a South African military commander. He joined the South African Army
in 1938, and served in Italy
in World War II
.
He was the founder and first commanding officer of the South African airborne forces, in 1961. Later, he served as Chief of the Army from 1967 to 1973, and as Inspector-General of the defence forces from 1973 to 1975.
South African Army
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
in 1938, and served in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He was the founder and first commanding officer of the South African airborne forces, in 1961. Later, he served as Chief of the Army from 1967 to 1973, and as Inspector-General of the defence forces from 1973 to 1975.
See also
- List of South African military chiefs
- South African ArmySouth African ArmyThe South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...