Matsui Iwane vs Max Hoffmann

Matsui Iwane was appointed commander of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Army in August 1937. He led the invasion of Shanghai, a brutal three-month battle that resulted in massive Chinese casualties and the fall of the city to Japanese forces.

Matsui commanded Japanese forces during the capture of Nanjing in December 1937. His troops committed widespread atrocities, including mass murder, rape, and looting, known as the Nanjing Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war.

Matsui Iwane was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and found guilty of war crimes for failing to prevent the Nanjing Massacre. He was sentenced to death and executed by hanging on December 23, 1948.

As Chief of Operations for the German Eighth Army, Hoffmann played a key role in planning the encirclement of the Russian Second Army at Tannenberg. The battle resulted in the destruction of the Russian army and the capture of its commander, Samsonov. This victory established Hindenburg and Ludendorff's reputations.

Hoffmann helped plan the follow-up battle to Tannenberg, the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. German forces drove the Russian First Army out of East Prussia, inflicting heavy casualties. This cleared German territory of Russian troops and secured the eastern border for the remainder of 1914.

Hoffmann was the chief German military negotiator at Brest-Litovsk. He dictated harsh terms to Soviet Russia, forcing the cession of vast territories including Poland, the Baltic states, and Ukraine. The treaty ended the war on the Eastern Front but was later annulled by the Armistice.