B-29 Superfortress Emergency Ditching off Iwo Jima (May 26, 1945) 🇺🇸
Rare color footage shows a damaged B-29 Superfortress (Circle R, 6th Bomb Group, 313th Bomb Wing based on Tinian) making an emergency water landing after losing two engines during a night mission over Tokyo.
The massive bomber skims across the ocean surface before coming to a stop just off Iwo Jima. The successful ditching allowed the entire crew to escape safely.
Following the capture of Iwo Jima, the island's airfields and surrounding waters became a vital lifeline for crippled B-29s returning from Japan.