Shigeyoshi Inoue vs William Westmoreland

Inoue was appointed commander of the Fourth Fleet, responsible for Japanese naval operations in the South Pacific. He oversaw the capture of Guam, Wake Island, and the Solomon Islands in the early months of the Pacific War.

Inoue commanded the Japanese Fourth Fleet during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The battle was the first naval engagement fought entirely by aircraft carriers. Although a tactical draw, it stopped the Japanese advance on Port Moresby and marked the first check on Japanese expansion.

After the Battle of the Coral Sea, Inoue ordered the Japanese invasion force for Port Moresby to turn back, despite the battle being a tactical draw. This decision was criticized by some naval officers but preserved the invasion force for future operations.

Westmoreland was appointed commander of US forces in Vietnam in June 1964. He oversaw the escalation of US troop levels from 16,000 to over 500,000 and directed the strategy of attrition against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.

During the Tet Offensive, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched a massive surprise attack across South Vietnam. Westmoreland's forces repelled the attacks, but the scale of the offensive contradicted his earlier optimistic assessments of progress, leading to a loss of public support for the war.

Following the Tet Offensive, Westmoreland requested an additional 206,000 troops for Vietnam. This request was denied by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who instead announced a bombing halt and peace negotiations, marking a shift in US policy.

Westmoreland was relieved of command in Vietnam in June 1968 and reassigned as Army Chief of Staff. His departure marked the end of the attrition strategy and the beginning of Vietnamization under General Creighton Abrams.