Legendary RAF Spitfire flown by Pilsen’s war hero up for sale
The renowned fighter aircraft of Britain’s Royal Air Force in the Second World War — the iconic Spitfire — has appeared on a foreign sales portal. What makes this particular veteran remarkable is its Czech connection. It was flown in RAF service by Pilsen-born pilot Karel Pošta, who even brought the aircraft back to then-Czechoslovakia after the war and later displayed it at air shows.
“This is Karel Pošta’s personal Spitfire, the very one he flew from England to liberated Czechoslovakia and later operated with the 4th Air Regiment,” Michal Krechowski of the Classic Trainers association told the regional paper Plzeňská Drbna. The group runs an aviation museum at Líně airport near Pilsen and has extensive experience operating historic aircraft.
Pošta presented his Spitfire at numerous post-war air shows, and witnesses recall his aerobatics as breathtaking. The Spitfire now up for sale has undergone careful restoration, with technicians logging 135 hours of work on both its technical systems and exterior.
“The SL633 JT-10 camouflage faithfully reflects its service with the 4th Air Regiment. Visually, there are minor differences compared to the immediate post-war original following its 2010 reconstruction. It should have clipped wingtips and the later ‘pointed’ rudder shape,” Krechowski noted.
Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, Czechoslovakia supplied aircraft to the nascent Israeli Air Force, and this Spitfire was among them. Now it is parked in a hangar in Australia, awaiting a new owner.
From a historical Czech perspective, the aircraft is considered highly valuable. It played a significant role in rebuilding post-war Czechoslovak military aviation and stands as a testament to the legacy of Czechoslovak pilots who fought on the Western Front. The plane is an original Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXE with what experts describe as an extraordinary Czech footprint.
Many would like to see it return to the Czech Republic — but the price tag is formidable: £2,950,000 plus VAT, more than 80 million Czech crowns. “There is always a chance. But a buyer would need not only the funds to acquire this historic aircraft, but also to operate and maintain it in airworthy condition. Neither comes cheaply,” Krechowski noted.
Karel Pošta - one of Pilsen’s most respected fighter pilots
Karel Pošta was born on 29 September 1914 into a working-class family in Pilsen. Trained as a mechanic, he was fascinated by aviation from childhood and joined the West Bohemian Aero Club at Plzeň-Bory airfield. He later enrolled in flight school in Prostějov and, after beginning military service, became a member of the 34th Fighter Squadron.
In May 1939, he fled via Poland to France, where he took part in aerial combat. After France’s defeat, he travelled through North Africa to the United Kingdom and joined the RAF, serving with the renowned No. 312 Squadron RAF.
He served with the squadron for almost the entire remainder of the war and became one of its most prominent members. He took part in virtually all wartime campaigns in which it was involved — from the air defence of the British Isles, through countless offensive sweeps over occupied France, the Normandy landings, support for airborne operations in the Netherlands, to long-range bomber escorts over Germany.
During his wartime career, Pošta shot down three enemy aircraft and damaged two more. He returned home as a first lieutenant with numerous decorations and served at České Budějovice airfield after the war.
The Communist takeover in February 1948 marked a turning point. Like many other airmen, he was declared a deserter and emigrated with his family back to Britain. While stripped of his rank and decorations at home, he was readmitted to the RAF at the very low rank of sergeant — the same rank at which he had originally begun his RAF service. His renowned flying skills, however, soon earned him promotion. Historians note that his spectacular display at the 1950 Farnborough Airshow, where he flew a Spitfire LF.Mk.XVI with exceptional flair, won the admiration of Queen Elizabeth II who suggested that he be promoted to a higher rank.
Karel Pošta died on 8 January 1961 at the age of just 46. Decades later, on 10 September 1991, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel in the Czech Republic.
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