What was the planned Allied invasion of Japan called, combining Operations Olympic and Coronet?
Answer
Operation Downfall
Answer
Operation Downfall
The planned Allied invasion of Japan, combining Operations Olympic and Coronet, was called Operation Downfall.
Operation Olympic was intended to invade southern Kyushu in November 1945. Operation Coronet was planned for spring 1946 and would have attacked the Kantō Plain near Tokyo on Honshu. Together, the two operations formed the proposed invasion of Japan’s home islands.
Downfall was canceled after Japan surrendered. The atomic bombings, the Soviet declaration of war and invasion of Japanese-held territory, and Japan’s acceptance of the Allied terms ended the need for the invasion.
Had it occurred, Downfall would have been an immense operation. Planners expected Olympic to use Okinawa as a staging base and envisioned a later assault on the Tokyo region. The operation is sometimes confused with Olympic, but Olympic was only the first phase of the larger Downfall plan.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026