Doihara Kenji vs Georgy Zhukov

Doihara Kenji, as a senior intelligence officer in the Kwantung Army, played a key role in the Mukden Incident. He orchestrated the staged explosion on the South Manchurian Railway, which Japan used as a pretext to invade Manchuria.

Doihara was instrumental in establishing the puppet state of Manchukuo. He recruited the last Qing emperor, Puyi, to serve as its figurehead ruler, and helped administer the territory as a Japanese colony, exploiting its resources.

Doihara Kenji was tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and found guilty of war crimes, including conspiracy and aggression. He was sentenced to death and executed by hanging on December 23, 1948.

Zhukov commanded Soviet and Mongolian forces against the Japanese Kwantung Army at Khalkhin Gol. His use of combined arms tactics, including encirclement and artillery, resulted in a decisive Soviet victory that secured the Soviet eastern border.

Zhukov took command of the defense of Moscow in October 1941. He organized a counteroffensive in December, pushing German forces back 100-250 miles from the capital. The victory was the first major defeat of the German army in World War II.

Zhukov planned and coordinated Operation Uranus, the Soviet counteroffensive that encircled the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. The operation led to the surrender of German forces in February 1943, a turning point in the war.

Zhukov coordinated the Soviet defense at Kursk, the largest tank battle in history. The Soviet victory halted the German offensive and allowed the Red Army to launch a counteroffensive that pushed German forces back to the Dnieper River.

Zhukov commanded the 1st Belorussian Front in the assault on Berlin. His forces captured the Reichstag and accepted the German surrender on May 8, 1945. The victory ended World War II in Europe and made Zhukov a national hero.