Figure 1.--The British Landed at the toe of Italy crossing over from Sicily (Septmber 3, 19434). Despite weak resistance, it took 3 weeks to get to Foggia. The 78th Infantry Division of the Eighth Army captured the Foggia, the greatest airfield complex in southern Europe (September 27). This photograpg shows a street ice cream (gelati) characteristic bicycle cart. (An Italian reader tells us, "It is unusual for a man wearing a sailor uniform o be an ice cream vendor. Maybe the sailor asked the vendor to take a picture of him with the gelatti cart. The more I look at the photo, the more doubts arise about who the man is. The navy uniform seems incomplete. Above all, a sailor would not have had his photo taken without his cap. Perhaps the ice cream vendor had that shirt, just as the child had his helmet.") The photograph was taken in Foggia, Puglia, probably in 1944. Note the British infantry helmet worn by one of the boys.

Foggia was not a single airfield, but a complex of about 30 airfields with well developed facilities on te flat Tavoliere plain surrounding Foggia in southern Italy near the heel of the Italian boot. The area had been of some importance during World War I, but with the rise of air power it was of great strategic importance during World War II. Foggia played a role in the Albanian and Greek campaigns because of their proximity to Greece and Albania, both located across the Adriatic Sea. (1939-41). The area around Foggia is he closest place in Italy to both Albania and Greece. The Germans understood that after the Axis debacle in Tunisia (May 1943 and especially Sicily (July (1943) that their Italian ally wanted to quit the War. And thus the Germans began moving forces into Italy. The Germans seized control of Italy after the Italian armistice and interned the Italian Army (September 1943). It is at this time that they took control of Foggia. The Luftwaffe by 1943 was in decline with units being dawn back from forward locations to defend the Reich cities from Allied bombers. the Germans worked on the SD Ruhrstahl 1400 (the 'Fritz X-1') at the base. The Italians as the Allies were prepared to land, agreed to Armistice. The Italian Air Force became the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Air Force, ANR). Unlike the Italian Army and Navy much of the Air Force remained loyal to Mussolini and the Germans. The Allies from air bases in North Africa began bombing Foggia. Field Marshal Montgomry's Eighth Army from Sicily crossed over to the Italian toe (September 3). Despite light resistance, it took 3 weeks for the British to get to Foggia. The British reached Foggia (September 27). This was one of the real bonuses of the Italian campaign. Italy and distance had shielded Germany southern air flank from the Allied air assault. This included Germany's vital source of oil in Romania--Ploesti. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers then began repairing the airfields and upgrading them for the American heavy bombers to join the air campaign against Germany from the south. They also began building new fields. Another high priority was the Ploesti oil fields and refineries in Romania. The Americans use airfields were used by 12th and 15th Air Force. The 12th transitioned to tactical operations. The 15th was a strategic bombing force. The RAF also used Foggia, but primarily to support their ground operations in Italy. The complex was huge, so large that it was not just located in Foggia Province. The Foggia complete spread out into Bari, Molise and Basilicata. Albert Speer, Hitler's Armaments Minister commented in his memoirs, "I could see omens of the war's end almost every day in the blue southern sky when, flying provocatively low, the bombers of the American 15th Air Force crossed the Alps from their Italian bases to attack German Industrial targets." Foggia was a bonanza. The Allies often had to operate from make-shift facilities. The facilities at Foggia included many already developed air bases with concrete runways and other valuable facilities. Possessions of these fields meant that within months the Allies could open new front in the air war. This exposed more German cities to air attack and forced the Germans to spread out the disposition of their fighter aircraft. The allies were rapidly expanding their bomber fleets at the time and by the time the new Italian airfields were were operational, P-51 Mustang squadrons were available to escort them.

Created: 10:10 PM 9/5/2025
Last updated: 10:10 PM 9/5/2025