Proposed Operation Olympic targeted Kyūshū, Japan’s southernmost main island.
Olympic was the first stage of Operation Downfall, the planned Allied invasion of Japan. The operation was scheduled for November 1, 1945, and would have captured the southern third of Kyūshū. Allied planners intended to use the island’s airfields and ports as bases for the later Operation Coronet attack on Honshū.
Okinawa was expected to serve as a staging area for the invasion fleet. The planned assault force would have landed at several points, including Miyazaki, Ariake, and Kushikino. The operation was canceled after Japan accepted the Allied surrender terms in August.
Kyūshū is sometimes mixed up with Honshū because Tokyo is on Honshū and Coronet was aimed at the Kanto Plain there. Kyūshū is a separate island southwest of Honshū, separated by the Kanmon Strait and nearby waters.