Salsola Airfield

Military Decommissioning. Salsola Airfield was a temporary wartime facility constructed for a specific military purpose. With the conclusion of World War II in Europe and the subsequent withdrawal of American forces, the strategic need for the base ceased to exist. The airfield was dismantled and the land was returned to the Italian government and local landowners.

The site is completely demilitarized and has been returned to its pre-war state of agricultural use. Faint outlines of the former main runway, perimeter track, and aircraft hardstands are still visible in aerial and satellite imagery, etched into the landscape. A significant portion of the former airfield, particularly on its eastern side, is now occupied by a large solar power plant (parco fotovoltaico), taking advantage of the flat, open land.

Salsola Airfield was a significant World War II heavy bomber airfield and a key component of the Foggia Airfield Complex in Southern Italy. Constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers around September 1943, its primary purpose was to serve as a base for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Fifteenth Air Force. The airfield featured a single main runway made of Pierced Steel Planking (PSP). Its primary operational units were:

- **461st Bombardment Group:** Flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers from Salsola from February 1944 to April 1945.
- **484th Bombardment Group:** Also flew B-24 Liberators from the field from April 1944 to May 1945.

From Salsola, these groups conducted long-range strategic bombing missions against critical enemy targets, including oil refineries, aircraft factories, marshalling yards, and military installations in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and the Balkans. The airfield played a crucial role in the Allied strategic bombing campaign that crippled the Axis war machine.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Salsola Airfield for aviation purposes. The site's complete conversion to agricultural land and the construction of a large, modern solar farm on the property make any future aviation use highly improbable. It is considered a permanently closed and repurposed historical site.