General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Hendrik Balzazar Klopper (also ''Balthazar''), was a South African military commander. He commanded the

3rd Infantry Brigade The 3rd Infantry Brigade was a Regular Army infantry brigade of the British Army, part of the 1st Infantry Division. Originally formed in 1809, during the Peninsular War, the brigade had a long history, seeing action in the Second Anglo-Afg ...

and was later promoted to command the 2nd Infantry Division during the Western Desert Campaign of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He is best known for surrendering the Division to Rommel after the failed defence of the Tobruk harbour in June 1942. After the war, he became Army Chief of Staff from 1950 to 1953, and Commandant General of the Union Defence Force from 1956 until his retirement in 1958.

Military career

Klopper joined the South African Army in 1924.

World War II

During the

, he commanded the

in the North African Campaign, for which he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

. He then briefly commanded 2nd Infantry Division. As fortress commander, Klopper was forced to surrender

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

and its garrison to Axis forces on 21 June 1942. He escaped from captivity in 1943 and was exonerated by a 1942 Court of Inquiry into the Tobruk disaster. Hartshorn's book reveals in detail the Court of Inquiry's terms of reference and relevant findings.

South African Army College

Klopper was Officer Commanding the South African Army College from 1944 to 1945, before being appointed in command of Northern Command in 1945.

Post-war

Klopper served as Army Chief of Staff from 1951 to 1953, as Inspector-General from 1953 to 1956, and as Commandant General of the Union Defence Force from 1956 to 1958.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Klopper, Hendrik 1903 births 1978 deaths Afrikaner people Chiefs of the South African Army Companions of the Distinguished Service Order South African military personnel of World War II South African prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Germany