View source for Operation Pastel

{{short description|Planned deception operation for the invasion of Japan during WW2}}

During [[World War II]], '''Operation Pastel''' was the U.S. [[Military deception|deception]] plan scheduled to protect [[Operation Downfall#Olympic|Operation Olympic]], the planned invasion of [[Kyushu]], one of [[Japan]]'s southern [[Japanese archipelago|home islands]]. Pastel aimed to create the false impression of a threat of an [[United States|America]]n-led invasion against ports in [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]] via attacks on [[Formosa]], and another threat of an invasion of [[Shikoku]].

The strategic deception component of Pastel mainly surrounded two major fictitious invasions. The first against the [[Chusan Archipelago]]-[[Shanghai]] area, based on the cancelled Operation Longtom, with a notionally scheduled landing date of October 1, 1945.{{sfn|Huber|1988|p=3-4}} The other was an invasion of [[Shikoku]], which was notionally scheduled to take place on December 1, 1945.{{sfn|Huber|1988|p=3-4}} Pastel would convince the Japanese that the Joint Chiefs had rejected the notion of a direct invasion and instead were going to attempt to encircle and bombard Japan. This would require capturing bases in [[Taiwan|Formosa]], along the Chinese coast, and in the [[Yellow Sea]] area.{{sfn|Skates|p=160}} However, as the actual build-up of American forces would clearly be directed towards Japan, the assault on China would then appear to be cancelled, with a new invasion seemingly being planned against [[Shikoku]] instead.{{sfn|Huber|1988|p=3-5}}

One of the [[United States Army deception formations of World War II|notional military formations]] that was designated for use in the deception was the fictitious XXXV Airborne Corps. The Corps formed part of Operation Pastel Two, the deception plan for Operation Olympic.{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=900}} The final version of Operation Pastel incorporated notional [[Airborne forces|airborne landings]], using [[Paradummy|dummy parachutists]] similar to those used on [[Operation Titanic|D-Day]], in the interior of [[Kyushu|Kyūshū]] the day before the actual landings were to take place on November 1, 1945.{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=772}}{{sfn|Huber|1988|p=7-8}} The two-division fictional [[corps]] that was to carry out the landings was designated XXXV Airborne Corps.{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=772}}

Under Pastel Two, the first elements of the XXXV Airborne Corps, quartering parties of the notional [[United States Army deception formations of World War II#Divisions|18th Airborne Division]], were depicted as reaching [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] on August 15, 1945.{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=903}} Following this, glider pilots would reach Okinawa around August 20, 1945, followed by the troops of the real [[11th Airborne Division (United States)|11th]] (in the [[Philippines]]) and notional 18th Airborne Divisions, starting to arrive in Okinawa on September 1, 1945. On the same day, the notional corps headquarters would have been activated.{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=900}}{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=772}}

{{Military unit sidebar|title=U.S. Corps (1939–present)|previous=[[XXXIII Corps (United States)|XXXIII Corps]]|next=[[XXXVI Corps (United States)|XXXVI Corps]]}}

==References==
<references/>

==Sources==
* {{cite book | last = Skates | first = John Ray | year = 1994 | title = The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | location = Columbia, SC | isbn = 978-0-87249-972-0 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cJLtAAAAMAAJ | ref = {{sfnRef|Skates}} }}
* {{cite book|last=Holt|first=Thaddeus|title=The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War|publisher=Phoenix|year=2005|isbn=0-75381-917-1}}
* {{cite book|url=http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/pastel.pdf|title=PASTEL: Deception in the Invasion of Japan|last=Huber|first=Dr Thomas M.|publisher=Combat Studies Institute|year=1988|access-date=2013-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303054845/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/pastel.pdf|archive-date=2013-03-03|url-status=dead}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_downfall1.html|title=Operation Downfall: The Planned Assault on Japan|last=Antill|first=P.|year=2005}}

{{Coord missing|Taiwan}}

{{Allied Military Deception in World War II|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pastel, Operation}}
[[Category:World War II deception operations]]
[[Category:Cancelled military operations involving the United States]]
[[Category:Japan campaign]]
[[Category:Cancelled invasions]]
[[Category:Cancelled military operations of World War II]]


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