Existing comment:
Operation Olympic would have been an enormous undertaking, requiring more troops, warships, aircraft, weapons and supplies than any other amphibious operation in history. The landings at Normandy and on Okinawa -- two of the largest such operations up to that time -- would have seemed small by comparison.
On the first day of the invasion alone, over 335,000 troops would have landed on Kyushu -- far greater than the first-day numbers at Normandy and Okinawa combined.
To support such a large amphibious force, MacArthur and Nimitz planned to assemble the largest fleet of warships ever assigned to a single campaign. Nearly 1,000 warships would have participate.
The invading troops on Kyushu would have needed a continuous stream of supplies during the campaign. It would have required a buildup of over one million tons of cargo, including vehicles, weapons, food, clothing and other equipment. |