The Yakovlev Yak-3 was the aircraft which equipped the famous French "Normandie-Niemen" regiment on the Eastern Front during WW2. The aircraft seen here at the time the picture was taken shows markings of Lieutenant Robert Marchi's (4 victories ). This aircraft arrived at Le Bourget on June 20, 1945 as n° 18 and returned to the Museum in 1947and was repainted with n°4 in 1976.

Also with Polish National markings on the nose, ex code 02

This Yak-3 is on display in the Normandy-Niemen pavilion with different markings on either side. The port side wears the "4 white" scheme of Lt Robert Marchi, who claimed 4 victories and 2 shared on the Yak-3. The starboard side wears the plane's original combat serial of 25 white, which it wore when it was donated by Stalin to France from Russia after WWII in 1945. In 1950, it was disassembled and then restored as a composite from components in a scrapyard and given the serial 18 white for display at Chalais-Meudon. Around 1970 it came to this museum and in 1976 repainted as "4 white".

During the Battle of Stalingrad the Soviets realised that the Yak-1 was badly outclassed and needed to be improved. The result was the Yak-3, which was robust and easy to maintain and much liked by both pilots and ground crew. As it was one of the smallest and lightest combat fighters during WWII, its high power-to-weight ratio gave it excellent performance and it proved to be a formidable dogfighter. Its main disadvantage was the weak resistance of the wooden wing. The Normandie-Niemen did not receive Yak-3s until December 1944, but had shot down 94 aircraft by the end of WWII.

A group of Free French pilots, the Normandie-Niemen Regiment, fought with distinction on the Eastern Front in WWII. They ultimately flew the Yak-3, one of the finest fighters of the war. Flown to France in June 1945, 37 Yak-3s even entered service with the French air force.