Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX PT879 “The Russian Spitfire” | Peter Teichman
- STATUS: Airworthy
- LOCATION: North Weald
- OWNER: Peter Teichman
- ROLE: Fighter / Fighter‑Bomber
- BUILT: 1944
- LENGTH: 9.12 m (29 ft 11 in)
- WINGSPAN: 11.23 m (36 ft 10 in)
- ENGINE: Rolls-Royce Merlin 66, 27-litre liquid-cooled V-12 piston engine
- MAXIMUM SPEED: 408 mph (657 km/h)
- RANGE: 434 miles (698 km)
- ARMAMENT: 2 × 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon, 2 × .50 calibre (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns.
The Extraordinary Story of Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX PT879
Among the world’s airworthy Spitfires, few possess a story as remarkable as Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX PT879, better known as “The Russian Spitfire.” Operated by the Hangar 11 Collection at North Weald and owned by renowned warbird pilot Peter Teichman, PT879 is the only flying Spitfire to have served with the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War.
Soviet Service
Built at the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory on 4 August 1944, PT879 was completed as a Merlin 66-powered Mk.IX and shipped to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease programme. She arrived at Murmansk in October 1944 and joined the 2nd Squadron, 767th Fighter Aviation Regiment, 122nd Fighter Aviation Division, defending the strategic northern approaches to Russia. Between 1942 and 1945, more than 1,300 Spitfires were delivered to the Soviet Union, but PT879 is the only known survivor to have returned to the skies.
The Final Flight
Her wartime career proved tragically brief. On 18 May 1945, just days after Victory in Europe, PT879 was involved in a mid-air collision during a training exercise over the Kola Peninsula. With only 18 hours and 29 minutes logged since new, the Spitfire lost her tail. Fortunately, Lieutenant Grigoriy Vasilievich Semyonov successfully bailed out, leaving the aircraft to crash onto the remote Arctic tundra, where she remained undisturbed for more than fifty years.
Recovery & Restoration
Recovered in 1997 in remarkably complete condition, PT879 embarked on one of the most significant restoration projects ever undertaken on a Spitfire. After returning to Britain, the aircraft passed through several owners before Peter Teichman commissioned its painstaking rebuild. The fuselage was restored by Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight before the final assembly was completed by the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar. The restoration retained an unusually high proportion of original wartime material, preserving the aircraft’s authenticity wherever possible.
Return to the Skies
On 28 October 2020, exactly 75 years after her final wartime flight, PT879 returned to the air during a successful test flight from Biggin Hill, piloted by Pete Kynsey. The achievement marked the first time a Soviet Lend-Lease Spitfire had flown since the 1940s, representing a milestone in historic aircraft restoration.
Present Day
Today, PT879 flies in the striking Soviet markings she carried during the spring of 1945. Her unusual red stars make her instantly recognisable among the more familiar RAF-camouflaged Spitfires that grace the European airshow circuit. As part of the Hangar 11 Collection, she serves as a powerful reminder of the often-overlooked contribution of Lend-Lease aircraft to the Eastern Front and the remarkable international journey of one of Britain’s most iconic fighters.
Photo Gallery
