Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
military officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
. His last position in the army was as the Deputy Commander of the Fourth Regional Command.
Military career
Bintoro was born on 23 December 1924. He began his military career after attending the ''Renseitai'' (officer training unit) during the
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies
The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history.
In May ...
. He was then put in command of a
Defenders of the Homeland
''Pembela Tanah Air'' (abbreviated PETA; ) or was an Indonesian volunteer army established on 3 October 1943 in Indonesia by the occupying Japanese. The Japanese intended PETA to assist their forces in opposing a possible invasion by the Allies ...
— a paramilitary volunteer unit — platoon in Kedu after finishing education from ''Renseitai''.
After the
Indonesian independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of t ...
in 1945, Bintoro entered the newly formed
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...
and became the commander of the 296th Military Subdistrict, which covers the Parakan, Temanggung, and Candiroto District. He held the command until Operation Kraai in December 1948.
Bintoro was appointed as the chief of staff of the Merdeka Military Region in the late 1950s. He became the acting commander of the military region after the previous commander, Sunarijadi, left his post. After holding the chief of staff post for a while, Bintoro was instructed to pursue further military education at the
Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College
The Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College ( id, Sekolah Staf dan Komando Angkatan Darat, ) in Bandung, West Java, is a prominent graduate school for Indonesian Army and sister-service Officer (military), officers, inter-agency represe ...
. He graduated from the college in 1963.
Bintoro became the commander of the Cenderawasih (Papua) Military Region on 23 March 1966, replacing Kartidjo. He later launched a competition for the tune of the military region's march, with Bintoro himself as the author of the lyrics. A submission made by musician was named as the competition's winner and the march was made official on 17 August 1966.
Two month after he was made as the commander, Bintoro replaced his chief of staff with a new one. He also conducted several reorganizations military districts and a battalion. A year later, on 29 March 1967, he launched an operation codenamed ''Bharatayudha'', which was aimed to crush rebel groups under the leadership of Ferry Awom and Lodewijk Mandatjan and to safeguard the
Act of Free Choice
The Act of Free Choice ( id, Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat, PEPERA, Determination of the People's Opinion) was a controversial plebiscite held between 14 July and 2 August 1969 in which 1,025 people selected by the Indonesian military in Western New ...
process.
The operation involved troops from West Java's 314th Infantry Battalion, South Sulawesi's 700th Airborne Battalion, 935th
Mobile Brigade Corps
The Mobile Brigade Corps ( id, Korps Brigade Mobil) abbreviated Brimob is the special operations, paramilitary, and tactical unit of the Indonesian National Police (Polri). It is one of the oldest existing units within Polri. Some of its main ...
Battalion, several platoons from the
Indonesian Marine Corps
'' ("Glorious on the Land and Sea")
, colors =
, colors_label = Beret color
, march = Mars Korps Marinir
, mascot =
, equipment =
...
,
Paskhas
The Kopasgat ( id, Komando Pasukan Gerak Cepat, Quick Reaction Forces Command) is the air force infantry and special forces corps of the Indonesian Air Force. The corps is also known as the Orange Berets ( in Indonesian) from the colour of the ...
, Rapid Force Command, and Special Forces Command. The operation accomplished its original goal, with most of the rebel groups being split into smaller and less powerful groups. Around 73 rebel soldiers were killed and 60 were captured during this operation, while 3,539 soldiers surrendered. However, the operation shocked and traumatized most Papuans, as they never thought Indonesians would launch an open warfare against these groups. He left his post not long after the operation commenced on 25 August 1968.
After leaving his post, Bintoro was appointed as the Inspector for Moral and Mental Development. He did not held this position for long, as he was instructed to attend a regular course in the National Resilience Institute. He attended the course from 13 July 1970 until 6 January 1971. He then became the Deputy Commander of the Fourth Regional Command — which covered Maluku and Papua — on 24 August 1976 and left the post in February 1978. He retired from the military in the same year.
Bintoro died on 13 June 1986. He was buried at the
Kalibata Heroes Cemetery
The National Main Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Nasional Utama, Kalibata, colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes Cemetery ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata, or ''TMP Kalibata'') is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South ...