[dragoon500ly]

Operation Downfall was the overall plan for the invasion of Japan. It would consist of two sub-operations.

Operation Olympic was to capture the bottom seventy miles of Kyushu (the southern most of the Japanese home islands). Its objective was to secure ports and airfields to support the second phase. Olympic would consist of three landings, one on the west coast of Kushikino, another in the south at Ariake Bay and the third on the east coast at Miyazaki City. Naval support would consist of 9 BB, 20 CV/CVL, 88 DD, 295 troop transports, 95 attack cargo ships and 555 LSTs just to name some of the forces to be involved.

The Western Landing Force (40th Infantry Division) would seize several small islands west and southwest of Kyushu five days prior to the main landings and set up fighter direction, radar warning, guidance and commo facilities as well as securing safe anchorges for hospital ships and damaged vessels. One day later, the Southern Landing Force would land the 158th Regimental Combat Team on Tanega Island, south of Kyushu, for the same purpose.

X-Day was to be November 1, 1945. The Third Landing Force (1st Cavalry Division, 43rd Infantry Division and the Americal Division) would assault Ariake Bay; the 5th Landing Force (2nd, 3rd and 5th Marine Divisions) would land on the Kushikino beaches and the Seventh Landing Force (25th, 33rd and 41st Infantry Divisions) the Miyazaki area. The Reserve Landing Force (77th, 81st and 98th Infantry Divisions) would not go ashore before November 5th, but would conduct divisionary landings with two of its divisions off the island of Shikoku on October 30, X-2. The Reinforcement Force (11th Airborne Division) was not scheduled for action before November 23, X+22.

The Japanese defenders of Kyushu was made up of the 16th Area Army, consisting of 40th, 56th and 57th Armies (equivalent to US Army Corps). The 16th Area Army would have some 15 divisions as well as numerous independent brigades, regiments and battalions. Prior to the invasion, the 16th Area Army had a ration strength of 750,000 men. Plans to reinforce the invasion area would have increased Army strength (not counting Navy and volunteer combat personnel) to 990,000 men.

The Japanese also prepared "Tokubetsu Kogeki" or Special Attack units to assist in the defense, these were the suicide attack or Kamikazes. According to Japanese records some 10,500 Kamikazes were ready for the Americans. Mostly made up of obsolete and training aircraft as well as the new, Tokka Kamikaze attack aircraft; there were also significant numbers of Oka and Kikka manned rocket bombs. The IJN provided some 3,000 Shinyo motorboats (crammed with explosives, their volunteer crews would ram thier craft into ships and denotate their cargo). Also available were 1,000 underwater special attack craft; the Kaiten was a manned torpedo, the Sea Dragon and Dragon Larva were one manned midget submarines. The last component of the special attack units were over 4,000 Fukuryu or "Crouching Dragons" These were human mines that would wear diving dress and carry long poles attached to explosive charges. Their mission was to attack the assault craft as they approached the invasion beaches.

The Japanese defenders were short of equipment, many of the defending divisions were as short as 50% below TO&E levels. Especially lacking were antitank weapons, so the IJA resorted to the issue of hand carried explosive charges. Another addition to their suicide forces were the kokumin Giyu Sento-Tai, the National Volunteer Combat Force or Giyu. These were poorly trained and even more poorly equipped (bamboo spears or rifles with only 15 rds) volunteers consisting of all men between 15-60 and all women between 17-40, only the infirm or pregeant were allowed to not "volunteer". The Giyu would not wear any uniforms, only a small patch marked with the symbol for "sen", combatant was allowed to give them military status under international law.

By any standard, Operation Olympic was going to be a bloody, bloody battle!