Kondo Isami vs Mark W. Clark

Kondo Isami became the commander of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto. Under his leadership, the Shinsengumi became a feared and effective force for suppressing anti-shogunate activities. Kondo's charisma and swordsmanship were key to the group's cohesion.

Kondo led the Shinsengumi in the Ikedaya Incident, a raid on an inn where anti-shogunate plotters were meeting. The raid prevented a plan to burn Kyoto and resulted in the deaths or capture of many plotters. This event made the Shinsengumi famous.

Kondo fought in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, where the shogunate forces were defeated by the Imperial army. The Shinsengumi suffered heavy casualties. Kondo retreated to Edo after the defeat, but was later captured by Imperial forces.

Kondo was captured by Imperial forces and executed by decapitation at Itabashi. His death was a major blow to the Shinsengumi and the Tokugawa loyalists. He was executed as a rebel against the Emperor, but his loyalty to the shogunate made him a martyr.

Clark was promoted to lieutenant general at age 46, becoming the youngest officer to hold that rank in the US Army at the time. This promotion placed him in command of the US Fifth Army for the invasion of Italy.

Clark commanded the US Fifth Army during the Allied invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno. The landings faced strong German resistance but succeeded in establishing a beachhead, leading to the eventual Allied advance up the Italian peninsula.

Clark's Fifth Army captured Rome on June 4, 1944, two days before the D-Day landings. The capture was a strategic victory, though Clark's decision to prioritize entering Rome over cutting off German retreat routes has been criticized.

Clark's 15th Army Group, including the US Third Army under Patton, relieved the besieged town of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. This action helped halt the German offensive in the Ardennes.