Retired General Sun Yuan-liang, who helped lead Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists in China’s struggle against Japan during World War II, died May 25 in Taiwan. He was 103.

The Nationalists led China from the 1920s until their defeat at the hands of Mao Zedong’s Communists in 1949.

Born in China’s Sichuan province in 1904, Sun joined the Nationalist army at the age of 19 and was among the most celebrated graduates of the prestigious Huangpu Military Academy founded by Chiang in Guangdong Province.

He came to prominence confronting Japanese efforts to gain a foothold in the Shanghai region in the 1930s.

Sun led the Nationalists in a crucial battle to beat back Japanese naval forces attacking Shanghai in 1932.

He led another famous battle in the city in 1937, holding onto the Nationalist base for 76 days despite heavy casualties.

Despite Sun’s achievements, many historians have criticized the Nationalist performance during World War II, saying poor and ineffectual leadership and widespread corruption helped allow Japan to take control of wide swathes of the Chinese mainland.

Some of the historians say Chiang refused to deploy his best troops, holding them back for use against the Communists after Japan’s defeat.

During that civil conflict, Sun lost a crucial battle in 1948 when more than half a million Nationalist troops were killed in eastern Jiangsu Province.

Partly because of the defeat, Sun retired shortly after he followed Chiang in his retreat to Taiwan in 1949.