A total of 462 land-based B-29 Superfortresses took part in the Allied flypast during Japan’s surrender ceremony. They were among more than 800 U.S. military aircraft that flew over Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
The flypast demonstrated the scale of Allied air power at the moment Japan formally surrendered. B-29 bombers had played a major role in the Pacific air campaign, including the atomic missions against Hiroshima and Nagasaki and conventional incendiary raids against Japanese cities.
The aircraft over the bay included planes based on land as well as aircraft operating from carriers. The presence of so many aircraft also had a practical security purpose: planners feared that Japanese pilots might attempt an attack during the ceremony. No such attack occurred, and the aerial display became part of the ceremony’s powerful visual record.