Scordia Airfield.png) | |
|---|---|
| Part ofTwelfth Air Force | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 37°18′20.24″N014°50′59.54″E / 37.3056222°N 14.8498722°E /37.3056222; 14.8498722 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1943 |
| In use | 1943 |
Scordia Airfield is an abandonedWorld War II military airfield inItaly, which is located approximately 1 km north ofScordia inSicily.
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 theUnited States Army Air ForceTwelfth Air Force57th Fighter Group during August 1943, flying combat operations withP-40 Warhawks.
When the 57th moved out toMilazzo to prepare for the invasion of the Italian mainland, the airfield was closed and dismantled. Today,[when?] there are traces of the airfield remaining on the landscape visible from aerial photography, but no buildings or physical features remain.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
