What was the first phase of Operation Downfall, targeting Japan’s island of Kyūshū?

Operation Olympic was the first phase of Operation Downfall, targeting Japan’s island of Kyūshū. Allied planners scheduled the amphibious invasion for 1 November 1945, but Japan surrendered before it could begin.

Olympic was intended to seize the southern part of Kyūshū and establish bases for the later invasion of the Kantō Plain near Tokyo. That second stage was called Operation Coronet and was planned for March 1946. Together, the two operations formed the Downfall plan for conquering Japan’s home islands.

The proposed operation would have required a large concentration of troops, landing craft, aircraft, and naval support. Japanese forces were also preparing defenses and mobilizing civilians. Because the invasion was never launched, estimates of casualties remain projections rather than recorded battle totals.

Olympic is sometimes confused with Operation Overlord, which was the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy. It is also distinct from the actual occupation of Japan, which began after the surrender in August 1945.