Which planned 1945 operation targeted southern Kyushu in the proposed invasion of Japan?

Operation Olympic was the planned 1945 operation targeting southern Kyushu in the proposed invasion of Japan.

Olympic formed the first phase of Operation Downfall, the broader Allied plan to invade Japan’s home islands. Its objective was to seize the southern part of Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, and establish bases for later operations. The planned landings were scheduled for November 1, 1945.

American planners expected fierce resistance. Kyushu contained airfields and approaches that could support later attacks, while Japanese forces prepared defenses and organized civilian mobilization. The planned operation would have required hundreds of thousands of personnel and extensive naval and air support.

Olympic was canceled when Japan surrendered in August 1945. It is often confused with Operation Coronet, the second phase of Downfall, which was planned for the Kantō Plain on Honshu near Tokyo. Operation Neptune, meanwhile, was the naval component of the Normandy invasion in Europe and was unrelated to the proposed invasion of Japan.