What was the first phase of Operation Downfall, aimed at southern Kyushu?

Operation Olympic was the first phase of Operation Downfall, aimed at capturing southern Kyushu. Allied planners scheduled the invasion for November 1945, using Okinawa as a staging area and intending to secure airfields for the later attack on Honshu.

Kyushu was selected because its southern portion offered locations suitable for amphibious landings and air-base construction. The planned operation was not intended to conquer the entire island immediately. Instead, it would seize the southern third and create a base for continued operations against Japan's main political and industrial centers.

Operation Olympic was never launched because Japan surrendered in August 1945. Its name is sometimes confused with Operation Coronet, the second phase of Downfall, or Operation Ketsugo, Japan's defensive plan for resisting an Allied invasion. A separate deception plan connected with Olympic was called Operation Pastel.