Voltone 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 opposing ...

military airfield, located approximately 4 km west of

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status ...

(Provincia di Viterbo, Lazio), central

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 ...

, about 70 km northwest of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It was an all-weather temporary field built by the XII Engineer Command using a graded earth compacted surface, with prefabricated hessian (burlap) surfacing (PHS). PHS was made of an asphalt-impregnated jute rolled out over the compacted surface over a square mesh track (SMT) grid of wire joined in 3-inch squares.

Pierced Steel Planking Marston Mat, more properly called pierced (or perforated) steel planking (PSP), is standardized, perforated steel matting material developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the ...

was also used for parking areas, as well as for dispersal sites, when it was available. In addition, tents were used for billeting and support facilities; an access road was built to the existing road infrastructure; a dump for supplies, ammunition, and gasoline drums; drinkable water and a minimal electrical grid for communications and station lighting. Once completed it was turned over for use 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 ...

415th Night Fighter Squadron 415th may refer to: *415th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Air Force unit *415th Flight Test Flight (415 FLTF), squadron of the United States Air Force Reserves *415th Tactical Fighter Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit See ...

between 17 June-9 July 1944, flying Bristol Beaufighters. When the Americans pulled out, the airfield was dismantled by engineers. Today the location of the airfield is partially a golf course bisected by a road with the outline of its former main runway on the other side in a pasture.

References

* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. . * {{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II 1944 establishments in Italy Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Italy Airports established in 1944