Canne Airfield

The primary closure in 1945 was due to post-war demobilization. As a temporary wartime airfield, its military necessity ended with the conclusion of hostilities in the European theater. The airfields in the Foggia complex were rapidly constructed for a specific strategic purpose and were not intended for permanent use. The more recent closure of the ultralight strip was likely due to economic factors, a decline in general aviation activity at the site, or land ownership changes, which are common reasons for the closure of small, private airfields.

The site is no longer an active airfield. It has been fully returned to agricultural use. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows the faint but clear outline of the former main runway, which is now divided into cultivated fields. A large solar farm has been constructed on land immediately adjacent to the former airfield, a common modern use for flat, open areas. There are no remaining airport buildings or infrastructure.

Canne Airfield holds significant historical importance as a key component of the Foggia Airfield Complex during World War II. This complex was a massive network of airfields in southeastern Italy used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Fifteenth Air Force for strategic bombing campaigns.

- **Construction and Use:** Built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1944, Canne was a temporary, heavy-duty airfield. Its primary runway was constructed using pierced steel planking (PSP) laid over a graded earth surface.
- **Primary Unit:** The airfield was the operational base for the **485th Bombardment Group (Heavy)** from September 1944 until May 1945.
- **Aircraft and Operations:** The 485th BG flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. From Canne, they conducted long-range strategic bombing missions against critical enemy targets, including oil refineries, marshalling yards, aircraft factories, and communication lines in Germany, Austria, occupied Poland, Hungary, and the Balkans. The location in southern Italy was strategically vital as it placed these targets within range of Allied bombers after the invasion of Italy.
- **Post-War:** After the war, the airfield was dismantled, and the land was returned to agricultural use, with visible scars on the landscape for decades. In the late 20th or early 21st century, a portion of the old runway was repurposed as a private airstrip for ultralight and general aviation aircraft, receiving the ICAO identifier IT-0622.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Canne Airfield. Given that the land has been fully converted to agricultural and renewable energy (solar farm) use, and its historical purpose was temporary, a reopening for any form of aviation is highly improbable. The ICAO code IT-0622 is now purely a historical reference.