How many U.S. military aircraft flew over the 1945 surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay?

More than 800 U.S. military aircraft flew over the 1945 surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.

The flypast took place on September 2, 1945, while Japanese and Allied representatives were aboard USS Missouri. It included aircraft from American carriers offshore as well as land-based B-29 Superfortress bombers. The display demonstrated the military power that had forced Japan's strategic position while the ceremony itself formalized the surrender.

Sources commonly describe the flypast as involving more than 800 aircraft, including 462 land-based B-29s. B-29s had played a major role in the air campaign against Japan, conducting long-range bombing missions from bases in the Mariana Islands and elsewhere. Their presence connected the ceremony to the wider air war in the Pacific.

The flypast did not represent a new attack. It was a carefully arranged demonstration during a ceremony that lasted only about 23 minutes. The event also featured roughly 250 Allied ships in Tokyo Bay, making the surrender both a legal signing and a visible display of coalition strength.