Termini Airfield.png) | |
|---|---|
| Part of Twelfth Air Force | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Controlled by | Regia Aeronautica 1940-1943United States Army Air Forces 09/1943 |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 37°59′18.91″N013°40′12.95″E / 37.9885861°N 13.6702639°E /37.9885861; 13.6702639 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1943 |
Termini Airfield is an abandonedWorld War II military airfield onSicily, located approximately 6 km East ofTermini Imerese harbour.
This airfield - placed in Canne Masche - was used by Regia Aeronautica as emergency airfield till September 1943; after Allied's arriving it was rebuilt 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; the XII Engineer Command built another airfield in contrada Pistavecchia 12km East from Termini Imerese harbour, close to Campofelice di Roccella town.
Once completed it was turned over for use by theTwelfth Air Force31st Fighter Group from 2 August to 2 September 1943, during the liberation of Sicily, before moving up toMilazzo in eastern Sicily to take part in the Invasion of Italy.
The airfield was used by the Italian S 79 aircraft carrying the diplomatic Mission designed to firm the Unconditional Surrender/Armistizio at Cassibile on September 3 1943
With the Americans pulling out, engineers dismantled the airfield. Today, there appears to be traces of the airfield in a flat.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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