Matsui Iwane vs Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes

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.

Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes assumed the presidency of Guatemala after winning a disputed election. He was a general and former ally of dictator Jorge Ubico, and his rule was marked by authoritarianism and corruption.

Ydígoras permitted the CIA to use Guatemalan territory to train Cuban exiles for the Bay of Pigs invasion. This decision aligned Guatemala with US anti-communist policy and deepened Cold War tensions in the region.

Ydígoras was overthrown in a military coup led by Defense Minister Enrique Peralta Azurdia. The coup occurred just before scheduled elections that would have allowed former president Juan José Arévalo to return from exile.