What was the codename for the planned Allied invasion of Kyushu in 1945?

Operation Olympic was the codename for the planned Allied invasion of Kyushu in 1945.

Olympic was the first stage of Operation Downfall, the broader plan for invading the Japanese home islands. The operation was scheduled to begin on November 1, 1945, with landings on Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost major island. Allied planners expected the campaign to be extremely costly because Japanese forces were preparing for homeland defense.

The second stage, Operation Coronet, was planned for March 1, 1946. Coronet would have targeted Honshu, the largest Japanese island, including the area around Tokyo. Japan’s surrender in August made both operations unnecessary.

Olympic was not an actual battle. It remained a detailed contingency plan involving massive Allied naval, air, and ground forces. The atomic bombings, the Soviet offensive in Manchuria, and Japan’s internal surrender decision changed the strategic situation before the invasion date arrived.

Olympic is often confused with Operation Downfall, which was the overall invasion plan, or Operation Coronet, which was its proposed second phase. Operation Iceberg instead referred to the 1945 invasion of Okinawa.