Japanese Defenses

Young Japanese kamikaze pilots photographed the day before their mission.

• They expected to have around 10,000 aircraft available, and planned to use almost all of these as kamikaze (suicide) planes. During the Battle of Okinawa, 2,000 Japanese kamikaze aircraft had achieved a hite rate of approximately one in nine, but during Operation Olympic, they hoped to achieve one in six hits, by overwhelming US defenses with the sheer weight of numbers. In total, they hoped to sink 400 or more Allied ships, and furthermore planned to concentrate on transports and thus maximize Allied casualties.
  
  
• The Imperial Japanese Navy still a number of large surface units, including 6 aircraft carriers, 4 cruisers and 1 battleship, but there was insufficient fuel available for these. However, the Japanese had prepared many hundreds of midget submarines, manned torpedos and suicide boats, and hoped to use these to inflict heavy casualties on the Allies.
  
  
• Previously experience had taught the Japanese that digging in on the beaches simply exposed their forces to Allied naval gunnery. On the other hand, they did not wish to allow the Americans to be able to establish a secure beachhead without engaging Japanese landing forces. The Japanese therefore positioned somewhat inland (to escape naval gunnery), with counteroffensive forces behind them. In total, the Japanese Army had around 900,000 men, including 3 tank brigades, defending Kyushu.
  
  
• The Japanese organized their civilians, including all healthy men (15 to 60) and women (17 to 40) into a fighting corps. Equipment was severely lacking, much of this force was equipment with spears, bows, or muskets, but they were nevertheless ordered to fight.