Rosignano Airfield
Encyclopedia
Rosignano Airfield is an abandoned World War II
military airfield in Italy
, located near the comune
of Rosignano Marittimo
in the Province of Livorno
in Tuscany
.
The area was captured by the Fifth Army in the early summer of 1944, and the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1945 during the Italian campaign
. Known units assigned were:
The 457th Air Service Squadron provided base support functions for the station, and the 904th Base Security Battalion provided security for the airfield and ground station.
The USAAF ended its operations at Rosignano about 30 September 1945 when the 117th Army Airways Communications Squadron closed its facility on the station. Today there is little or no evidence of the airfield, as the land has been returned to agricultural use.
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...
, located near the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Rosignano Marittimo
Rosignano Marittimo
Rosignano Marittimo is a comune in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 80 km southwest of Florence and about 20 km southeast of Livorno....
in the Province of Livorno
Province of Livorno
The Province of Livorno or Leghorn is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its capital is the city of Livorno....
in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
The area was captured by the Fifth Army in the early summer of 1944, and the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1945 during the Italian campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
. Known units assigned were:
- 416th Night Fighter Squadron, P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black WidowThe Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
, 1 September-1 October 1944
- Operations included defensive patrols of NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Leghorn (LivornoLivornoLivorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
), Piza and FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. Also provided air defense of Fifth Army operations and intruder sweeps of the Po ValleyPo ValleyThe Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
in Northern Italy.
- 62d Troop Carrier Group, 30 September 1944-8 January 1945
- 4th, 7th, 8th, 51st, 517th TC Squadrons, C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
- 47th Bombardment Group, October–11 December 1944
- 84th, 85th, 86th, 97th, Bomb Squadrons, A-26 InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
- 64th Troop Carrier Group, 10 January-23 May 1945
- 16th, 17th, 18th, 35th TC Squadrons, C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
- 2641st Special Group2641st Special GroupThe 2641st Special Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, based at Rosignano Airfield, Italy...
, 24 March-20 May 1945
- 859th Bomb Squadron, B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
- Engaged in special operations assigned to Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
.
The 457th Air Service Squadron provided base support functions for the station, and the 904th Base Security Battalion provided security for the airfield and ground station.
The USAAF ended its operations at Rosignano about 30 September 1945 when the 117th Army Airways Communications Squadron closed its facility on the station. Today there is little or no evidence of the airfield, as the land has been returned to agricultural use.