Over 800 U.S. aircraft flew over Japan’s surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.
The flypast followed the signing aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945. More than 800 American aircraft, including carrier-based planes and land-based B-29 Superfortress bombers, passed over the ceremony as a display of Allied military power.
The formation included 462 land-based B-29s. These heavy bombers had been central to the U.S. air campaign against Japan, including the atomic bombing missions and the large-scale conventional bombing campaign against Japanese cities and industrial targets.
The flypast also carried symbolic meaning. The ceremony was held amid concern that Japanese pilots might attempt a final attack, so American aircraft patrolled the area. No kamikaze attack occurred, and the large formation instead marked the transition from combat operations to occupation and reconstruction.