Mazara Airfield is an abandoned

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

military airfield in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

which was located about 3 km north-northeast of Mazara del Vallo on

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. It was built before 1943 and used by Axis forces before being seized by elements of the United States Fifth Army during the

Sicilian Campaign The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other. The expedition ended in a devas ...

. Once in Allied hands, it was used by the

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

316th Troop Carrier Group between 1 September and 18 October 1943 The unit had three squadrons of C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, used for carrying cargo, personnel and for paratrooper combat drops. The first components were the 45th and 46th Troop Carrier Squadrons, arriving from

Enfidaville Airfield Enfidaville Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 13 km north-northwest of Harqalah; approximately 90 km southwest of Tunis. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth ...

, Tunisia on 1 September; Group headquarters and the 35th Troop Carrier Squadron arrived on 3 SeptemberMaurer, Maurer.
Combat Squadrons of the Air Force: World War II
''.

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1982. The airfield was not used during Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily). It appears to have been a staging airfield for

Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

(invasion of Salerno, Italy). Since there were no airborne parachute landings during the Salerno invasion, it likely ferried supplies and personnel. Once Allied ground forces were on mainland Italy, the American use of the airfield appears to have ended; the 316th moved on to another airfield at

Borizzo Airfield Borizzo Airfield (Trapani–Chinisia airport) is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which was located in the vicinity of Trapani on Sicily. History It was built in the 1930s near the village of ''Borgo Rizzo'' and used by A ...

, Sicily. When the Americans pulled out the airfield was abandoned. Today the outline of what may have been the main runway can be seen in aerial imagery.

References

External links

Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Italy Airports established in 1943 {{Italy-airport-stub