When was Operation Olympic, the planned invasion of southern Kyushu, scheduled to begin?

Operation Olympic, the planned invasion of southern Kyushu, was scheduled to begin on November 1, 1945.

Olympic was the first phase of Operation Downfall, the Allied plan for invading Japan’s home islands. Its objective was to capture the southern part of Kyushu and establish airfields and other positions needed for later operations. Okinawa, which the United States had captured in June 1945, was intended to serve as a staging base.

The proposed invasion date became unnecessary when Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration in August. Japan’s surrender followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan. The formal surrender ceremony took place aboard USS Missouri on September 2, before Olympic’s scheduled start.

November 1, 1945 should not be confused with the planned start of Operation Coronet. Coronet, the second phase of Downfall, was tentatively scheduled for March 1, 1946, and would have targeted the Kanto Plain near Tokyo.