General Sir Helperus Andreas van Ryneveld, (2 May 1891 – 2 December 1972) was a South African military commander. He was the founding commander of the South African Air Force (SAAF). He began his military career in World War I, in which he served in the Royal Flying Corps (later Royal Air Force), where he distinguished himself as a fighter ace. He served as CGS for sixteen years, including the whole of World War II. He retired in 1949.