Operation Olympic: The Invasion of Japan 1 November 1945

About this board game

Operation Olympic: The Invasion of Japan 1 November 1945 is a hypothetical simulation of the planned Allied invasion of Kyushu, designed for 1–2 players and a play time of approximately 150 minutes.

Set in November 1945, the game focuses on Operation Olympic, the proposed invasion of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s Home Islands. The operation was intended to secure a base of operations for the planned follow-up, Operation Coronet, scheduled for an attack against Honshu in March 1946.

The game presents this alternate-history military situation at a clear operational scale. Players command units represented by regiments and brigades, while the map divides the area into hexes measuring 6.5 kilometers from side to side. Each game turn represents one week of real time.

• Players: 1–2
• Playing time: approximately 150 minutes
• Unit scale: regiments and brigades
• Map scale: 6.5-kilometer hexes
• Time scale: one week per game turn
• Scenarios: solitaire and two-player games

With scenarios for both solitaire and two-player play, Operation Olympic supports different ways to explore the proposed invasion. Its defined unit, map, and time scales provide a structured framework for examining the campaign’s hypothetical course.

Originally published in Strategy & Tactics #45 in July–August 1974, Operation Olympic offers a focused look at a planned operation that never took place. It is a historical simulation centered on Kyushu and the projected next step toward Honshu.