A total of 462 B-29 Superfortresses joined the flypast over Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony.
The aircraft flew over USS Missouri and Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, adding a dramatic aerial display to the formal signing. The flypast demonstrated the scale of Allied air power after years of fighting across the Pacific.
B-29 Superfortresses were four-engine heavy bombers operated by the United States Army Air Forces. They had been used extensively against Japan, including in the strategic bombing campaign and the atomic bombing missions. By the surrender ceremony, the B-29 had become one of the most recognizable symbols of American air power in the Pacific.
The figure 462 refers specifically to B-29 Superfortresses, not to every aircraft present. Accounts also describe a larger formation of more than 800 American military aircraft, including carrier-based planes and other aircraft. That distinction explains why different totals appear in descriptions of the flypast.