Rosia Airfield
Encyclopedia
Rosia Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield in Italy
, which is located approximately 13 km southwest of Siena
; 180 km northwest of Rome
.
It was an all-weather temporary field built by the XII Engineer Command using a graded earth compacted surface, with a prefabricated hessian (burlap) surfacing known as PHS. PHS was made of an asphalt-impregnated jute which was rolled out over the compacted surface over a square mesh track (SMT) grid of wire joined in 3-inch squares. Pierced Steel Planking was also used for parking areas, as well as for dispersal sites, when it was available. In addition, tents were used for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water and minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.
Once completed it was turned over for use by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force 3d Reconnaissance Group
, which flew F-4 and F-5 Lightnings from the airfield between September 1944 and January 1945.
Today, the airfield runway and dispersal pads are faintly visible on aerial photography of the Nettuno area.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
military airfield in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which is located approximately 13 km southwest of Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
; 180 km northwest of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
It was an all-weather temporary field built by the XII Engineer Command using a graded earth compacted surface, with a prefabricated hessian (burlap) surfacing known as PHS. PHS was made of an asphalt-impregnated jute which was rolled out over the compacted surface over a square mesh track (SMT) grid of wire joined in 3-inch squares. Pierced Steel Planking was also used for parking areas, as well as for dispersal sites, when it was available. In addition, tents were used for billeting and also for support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums, along with a drinkable water and minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting.
Once completed it was turned over for use by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force 3d Reconnaissance Group
3d Reconnaissance Group
The 3d Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Twelfth Air Force, based at Pomigliano, Italy. It was inactivated on 12 September 1945-History:...
, which flew F-4 and F-5 Lightnings from the airfield between September 1944 and January 1945.
Today, the airfield runway and dispersal pads are faintly visible on aerial photography of the Nettuno area.