Vincenzo Airfield

Military Demobilization. The airfield was a temporary wartime installation built for World War II operations. With the end of the war in Europe, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) units were withdrawn, and the airfield was dismantled. The land was subsequently returned to its original agricultural use, a common fate for the numerous temporary airfields of the Foggia Airfield Complex.

The airfield has been completely reclaimed by agriculture. There are no visible remnants of the runway, taxiways, or support buildings on current satellite imagery. The entire area consists of cultivated fields and farmland, with the land having been fully restored to its pre-war state for over 75 years.

The site was historically known as **Lucera Airfield**, a major World War II heavy bomber base. It was part of the Foggia Airfield Complex, a network of bases in southern Italy crucial for the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in early 1944, its single runway was constructed using pierced steel planking (PSP).

Key operations included:
- **Primary User:** USAAF Fifteenth Air Force.
- **Main Units Stationed:**
- **376th Bombardment Group (Heavy):** Flew B-24 Liberator bombers from the airfield from April 1944 to April 1945.
- **451st Bombardment Group (Heavy):** Also flew B-24 Liberators from Lucera from April 1944 to June 1945.
- **Missions:** From Lucera, these groups conducted long-range strategic bombing missions against critical enemy targets, including oil refineries, aircraft factories, and transportation hubs in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and the Balkans.

The name 'Vincenzo Airfield' and the ICAO code 'IT-0643' are likely modern, informal, or database-specific identifiers for the historical site, which was officially known as Lucera Airfield during its operational period.

None. There are no known or credible plans to reopen an airfield at this location. The site is privately owned agricultural land, and the cost of re-acquiring and redeveloping the land for aviation purposes would be prohibitive and is not considered necessary given the existing airport infrastructure in the region.