Platinum Fighter Sales has just listed a 1944 Vickers-Armstrong Spitfire IX, PL344. This aircraft has only 204.5 hours since its complete restoration, with 182 hours on its Packard Merlin 266 engine, rebuilt by Vintage V-12s.
A Storied History
Ordered from Vickers-Armstrong at Castle Bromwich in June 1943, PL344 was built as an L.F. IX with a Merlin 66 engine and e-type armament. Delivered to No. 8 M.U. at Little Rissington on July 1, 1944, it soon joined No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron, operating within No. 128 Wing. Coded LO-P, the aircraft suffered damage to its port wing from enemy fire on August 12, 1944. After repairs, PL344 was reassigned to No. 442 (Caribou) Squadron, RCAF, coded Y2-P, and continued its service across occupied Europe, operating from bases in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Further damage on December 28, 1944, was repaired, and in April 1945, PL344 was transferred to No. 401 (Ram) Squadron, RCAF, where it became the preferred aircraft of Squadron Leader Bill Klersy DSO, DFC & Bar.
Combat Successes
Flying PL344, Klersy claimed 6.5 kills, including an Fw 190 on April 19, 1945, the day the aircraft joined the squadron. The next day, he downed a Bf 109 and shared another before leading additional successful missions against enemy aircraft. On May 1, Klersy damaged another Fw 190 despite heavy flak, and on May 3, he and PL344 strafed Schönberg aerodrome, destroying a Heinkel He 111 and a Junkers Ju 52. On May 5, 1945, Klersy flew what was likely one of the final wartime sorties over Europe, as hostilities officially ceased at 08:00 that morning.
Post-War Service and Restoration
After WWII, PL344 was damaged in a wheels-up landing at Eindhoven on May 6, 1946, and was subsequently allocated to instructional duties in Belgium. In 1947, it was acquired by the Delft Institute of Technology, where it remained in sections for educational purposes until salvaged by Harry van der Meer in the 1980s. Charles Church obtained PL344 in 1985 and began restoration to airworthy condition. After Church’s passing, Kermit Weeks purchased the aircraft, commissioning further restoration by Tony Bianchi of Personal Plane Services Ltd. Completed in 2000, PL344 was acquired by Tom Blair, who flew it in the U.S. before shipping it to the U.K. in 2006 for an extensive IRAN/restoration at Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo). During this restoration, the aircraft was meticulously rebuilt, including structural corrections, installation of original-style fuel tanks, and reassembly of the wings. It was repainted in authentic WWII camouflage before being exported to Australia in 2021, where it was registered as VH-IUK.
Available for Inspection
Now based near Sydney, Australia, Spitfire IXe PL344 remains in airworthy condition and is available for inspection by appointment only. For serious inquiries, contact Platinum Fighter Sales for more details on this historic and impeccably restored warbird.
