Spinazzola Airfield

Military Decommissioning. The airfield was constructed as a temporary base for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during the Italian Campaign of World War II. With the conclusion of the war and the departure of American forces, the operational need for the base ceased. It was handed over to the Italian government and subsequently dismantled, with the land being returned to its original agricultural state.

The site has been completely reclaimed for agricultural use, primarily consisting of fields and olive groves. There are no remaining buildings, runways, or any aviation infrastructure. However, the distinct outline of the former main runway and some of the perimeter taxiways are still faintly visible in aerial and satellite imagery as crop marks and soil discolorations, a ghostly reminder of its wartime past.

Spinazzola Airfield was a significant heavy bomber base for the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force during World War II. Constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in late 1943, it was part of the Foggia Airfield Complex, a network of airfields in southern Italy used for strategic bombing campaigns. The airfield was built with pierced steel planking (PSP) runways and temporary structures. Its primary and most notable operational unit was the 2nd Bombardment Group, which flew B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. From January 1944 until the end of the war in May 1945, the 2nd Bomb Group flew hundreds of combat missions from Spinazzola, targeting strategic enemy assets such as oil refineries, marshalling yards, and aircraft factories in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and the Balkans.

None. The site has been fully returned to private agricultural land for over 75 years. There is no remaining infrastructure, and there are no known plans, discussions, or proposals for its restoration or reopening as an aviation facility.