Operation Downfall

During World War II, Operation Downfall was the overall Allied plan for the invasion of Japan. This plan had its genesis in 1943 and the “Strategic Plan for the Defeat of Japan.” It envisioned two subordinate attacks in 1946; Olympic, the invasion of the southern island of Kyushu, and Coronet, the attack of the main island of Honshu. These invasions would have dwarfed the Normandy invasion in terms of the number of troops involved, the difficulty of logistics and projected casualties. This operation was canceled as a result of the surrender of Japan.