Bob Rogers ( airman ) Lieutenant - General Robert Harry Doherty Rogers SSA SM MMM DSO DFC ( 1921 - 2000 ) was a Chief of the South African Air Force . He joined the South African Air Force ( SAAF ) in 1940 , and served in World War II and the Korean War . He subsequently rose through the ranks to become Chief of the SAAF . After his military career he entered politics and served as a Member of Parliament . Early life . He was born in Warden in the Orange Free State , South Africa , on 7 November 1921 . He won his Springbok ( i . e . national ) colours for shooting , and later joined the SA Air Force ( SAAF ) , commencing his flying training in January 1941 . He matriculated from Maritzburg College in 1938 , upon which he enrolled as a medical student at the University of the Witwatersrand until mid - 1940 , before joining the South African Air Force as a volunteer for active service in World War 2 , first qualifying as an air gunner . When he volunteered to train as a pilot , he went to Southern Rhodesia for training . Air Force career . By October 1941 , Rogers was assigned to 208 Squadron ( RAF ) in Egypt , where he flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in North Africa , Sicily , Italy and Austria . He was shot down near Benghazi in 1942 , but managed to escape capture . In August 1942 , despite having a finger shot off , he fought off 4 Luftwaffe ME 109s . By December 1943 , he had been promoted to lieutenant - colonel and placed in command of 225 Squadron , RAF . For his services he was awarded a DSO and DFC and Bar . Even his father , who was a captain in the army , had to salute him – much to the delight of both men . Towards the end of WWII , General Rogers was put in charge of his old squadron , 40 Squadron SAAF . After the war , Rogers accepted a permanent commission in the SAAF with the rank of captain , and served in various posts , including as a flight instructor and as Aide - de - Camp ( ADC ) to the Governor - General of the Union . Major Rogers ( as he then was ) served in the Korean War in 1951 and 1953 as a fighter bomber pilot , flying Mustangs and Sabres . He earned the American DFC , Air Medal with oak leaf cluster , and the Korean Chungmu Decoration . In 1954 , he married Clare Bosch and they had a son . He went on to hold various command and staff posts ( including OC of 12 Squadron SAAF and 24 Squadron SAAF ) , and at the end of 1974 he was appointed Acting Chief of the Air Force . He was appointed Lieutenant - General in March 1975 when he was confirmed as Chief of the Air Force , the post he held until his retirement in 1979 . Retirement . General Rogers retired from the SAAF in 1979 and settled in Knysna , Cape Province . In 1989 , he became the Democratic Party MP for Walmer , Port Elizabeth and was defence spokesman for that party in parliament . Honours and awards . He was awarded the DSO and DFC and Bar for his gallantry in World War II combat actions , as well as being Mentioned in Dispatches He was awarded the American Distinguished Flying Cross , the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the South Korean Chungmu Decoration with Gold Star . For service in the SAAF , he was awarded the Order of the Star of South Africa , the Southern Cross Medal and the Chief of Defence Force Commendation ( now known as the Medal of Military Merit ) .