What was the codename for the planned first invasion of Japan’s home islands in 1945?

Operation Olympic was the codename for the planned first invasion of Japan’s home islands in 1945.

Olympic was intended to land Allied forces on southern Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island. The operation was scheduled to begin on November 1, 1945, using Okinawa as a staging area and aiming to seize airfields and territory for a later attack.

It formed the first part of Operation Downfall, the broader proposed invasion of Japan. The second part was Operation Coronet, which was planned for the Kanto Plain near Tokyo in spring 1946.

Japan’s surrender canceled both operations. Operation Pastel was not the invasion itself; it was a planned deception scheme designed to make Japanese leaders believe the Allies might attack elsewhere. The distinction among Downfall, Olympic, Coronet, and Pastel is important because each name referred to a different level or function of the proposed campaign.