Over 800 U.S. military aircraft flew past the USS Missouri during Japan’s surrender ceremony.
The flypast took place on September 2, 1945, as the formal surrender ceremony unfolded in Tokyo Bay. The aircraft included planes from offshore aircraft carriers as well as land-based B-29 Superfortress bombers. Of the total, 462 were land-based B-29s.
The display was a powerful demonstration of Allied military strength at the moment Japan formally surrendered. The ceremony was carefully planned because Allied commanders still feared possible attacks by Japanese pilots, even after the surrender announcement. No kamikaze attack occurred during the event.
The aircraft flypast also emphasized the scale of the Pacific War’s final phase. The USS Missouri was surrounded by roughly 250 Allied vessels, creating a large naval and aerial presence around the signing ceremony. The event therefore combined a legal surrender, a military demonstration, and the beginning of the Allied occupation of Japan.