[dragoon500ly]

X-Day for Operation Olympic was to be November 1, 1945.

Third Fleet had the mission of suppress any remaining Japanese airpower and disrupting their communications from July 28 to October 3rd, 1945. Then they would shift to tactical ground support and interdiction missions.

Fifth Fleet would conduct the actual invasion. It would consist of the 3rd, 5th and 7th Amphibious Forces, two groups of fast carriers, a gunfire support force, a covering force and an escort carrier force. The air/naval bombardment of the landing beaches would commence on October 23rd and last until X-Day.

Each of the Sixth's Army corps would be teamed with an Amphibious Force. I Corps and the 7th Amphib would land on the east coast, just south of the city of Miyazaki. XI Corps and the 3rd Amphib would land in Ariaki Bay with the mission of seizing the port of Kagoshima. Fifth Amphib Corps and the 5th Amphib Force would land south of the city of Kushikino and then drive on Kagoshima. The 40th Infantry Division would be used to seize the off shore islands of Kuchinoerabu Shima, Kuro Shima, Kisakaki Shima, Uji Gunto and Koshiki Retto (to be used as radar stations and to shelter fleet units) The final objective line of Operation Olympic would run from the city of Tsuno on the east coast to the city of Sendai on the west coast. The Ninth Corps would stage a diversionary landing off Shikoku on X-Day to draw Japanese reserves and then land on Kyushu around November 4 and remain in reserve.

Operation Olympic never came to be. The US became the first and only country to denote atomic weapons in wartime. On August 6th, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was struck and then, on August 9th, 1945, the city of Nagasaki was struck. Japan offered to surrender on August 10th. The offical ceremony ending the war took place on September 2, 1945 with the signing of the surrender document onboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

It is perhaps a final bit of irony that the Japanese did not surrender unconditionally. The Allies agreed to allow Emperor to remain on his throne, although without any real power.

sources used include "Operation Downfall" "Samurai Sunset" and "Death is Lighter Than a Feather."