Commonwealth Corps The Commonwealth Corps was the name given to a proposed British Commonwealth army formation , which was scheduled to take part in the planned Allied invasion of Japan in during 1945 and 1946 . The corps was never formed however , as the Japanese surrender obviated any need for it . Under the proposals the corps would have comprised Australian , British , Canadian and New Zealand forces . By July 1945 , United Kingdom leaders were proposing that five Commonwealth divisions be assembled in India , and that they be committed to the invasion of Japan from March 1946 , a few months after the first planned landings by United States forces . The corps was to be accompanied by a 15 - squadron tactical air force known as Tiger Force , consisting mostly of Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons . However , the Australian Advisory War Council did not endorse this plan , instead feeling that the Australia ' s heavy involvement in the Pacific War meant that Australian Army units should be involved in the initial landing , whilst it was also considering the attachment of units to US formations . By the time of the Potsdam Conference however , General Douglas MacArthur — as commander of Allied land forces for the proposed invasion — was insisting that : the total Commonwealth land forces involved should be only three divisions ; a combined Commonwealth corps should be formed and that it would operate as part of a US Army ; it should use only US equipment and logistics ; it should be kept in reserve rather than taking part in initial landings and ; it should not include Indian Army units , due to " linguistic and administrative complications " . Besides questions of American national prestige , which undoubtedly weighed heavily , behind these conditions was a desire to simplify the lines of communication and the logistic support arrangements of the invasion force . Indeed once established in Japan MacArthur intended to switch his strategic lines of communication direct to America . On 8 August , the Chief of the Imperial General Staff , General Alan Brooke proposed that the corps comprise one Australian , one British and one Canadian division , as well as two New Zealand brigade s . The corps was to be formed in the United States and train there for six months before deployment , and would have also been organised along the lines of a US corps and utilise American equipment . It is generally considered that the corps was to have included the British 3rd Infantry Division , and two new divisions being formed for the purpose of the invasion : the Australian 10th Infantry Division and the 6th Canadian Infantry Division . British leaders were proposing that the corps be led by Lieutenant General Sir Charles Keightley , a British officer . The Australian government disagreed with the appointment of an officer with no experience fighting the Japanese however , and instead proposed Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead for the command . Regardless the details of the corps ' deployment were still being discussed when the war was ended by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . It seems clear , however , that the Commonwealth land forces would not have been used in the initial landings on Kyūshū under Operation Olympic . Instead they would most likely have been used during the landings on Honshū near Tokyo , scheduled to begin on 1 March 1946 under Operation Coronet , and which would have also included a French Corps . Regardless , some sources state that that MacArthur was proposing the further reduction of the Commonwealth land forces to an elite division . However , considering the likelihood of extremely high casualties in any such invasion , it must be considered likely that a much larger number of Commonwealth troops would have become involved following the landings . Composition . Canadian . The Canadian Army Pacific Force was organized on the lines of a standard infantry division , with nine infantry battalions . However , to ease logistic concerns , U . S . military equipment was to be adopted , as well as U . S . Army organization . Therefore , three battalions were formed into " regiments " rather than brigades , and " cannon companies " were formed rather than anti - tank units . The battalions were named in Canadian fashion , rather than numbered , and the division was patterned after the 1st Canadian Infantry Division .