' German Oil Plant Ripped By U.S. Bombers.

' German Oil Plant Ripped By U.S. Bombers. The important German oil refinery at Merkwiller, France, is one of many enemy fuel centers which have been made useless by American air attacks. Attacked August 3, 1944, by planes of the Eight U.S. Air Force, it was found to be still smouldering when troops of the Seventh U.S. Army liberated the town of Merkwiller almost four months later. This set of pictures shows the damage which was done to the Merkwiller refinery. This photo shows: Torn oli pipes sag over debris which stillsmoulders December 13, 1944, almost four months after the Merkwiller refinery was blasted by planes of the Eight U.S. Air Force. The enemy is so short of vital war fuel that, whenever possible, repairs are begun on a refinery immediately after an Allied air attack. Damage at Merkwiller, however, was so severe that reconstruction was impossible. '