DETAILED INTERPRETATION REPORT NO. K. 1312 Photographs taken by 1 P.R.U. on 26.4.42 and 27.4.42 SORTIE a/655 and A/666 Scale: 1/7,800 and 1/8,00 LOCALITY: ROSTOCK DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: Both sorties are of good scale and excellent quality and the town and environs are well covered, though most of the centre and western parts of the town are obscured by smoke on 26.4.42 and some fires are still seen burning on 27.4.42. Where not otehrwise stated, print numbers quoted refer to Sortie A/666. PERIOD UNDER REVIEW This report covers damage which occurred on the nights of 25/26.4.42 and 23/27.4.42; the result of the raids of 23/24 and 24/25.4.42 was seen on Sortie A/644 (Interpretation Report No.K.1310). GENERAL STATEMENT OF DAMAGE The whole of the town with the exception of parts of the western and southern suburbs has now suffered severely. Damage in the centre of the town is seen to be extremely heavy and over 70% of the old Town has been downstated. The three KEINKEL factories have all been damaged, and the aerodrome at MARIENEHE is temporarily unservicable. Further damage has been caused to warehouses on the water-front and a number of large sheds most of which probably contain stocks of timber have been totally destroyed. Both the CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION and the FREIDRICH FRANZ STATION have been extensively damaged and there are a number of points of damage to railway tracks and roads. DISTRIBUTION OF DAMAGE Damage from the first two raids was mainly localizes to the west and south-coast of the old town; and some damage to buildings in the HEINKEL Factory at MARIENEHE was seen. There was little damage to the centre of the town. The raids of 25/26 and 26/27.4.42 have resulted in very heavy and concentrated damage to the Old Town, to residential areas immediately to the west and south, and to commercial property to the east. There is further damage to the HEINKEL Works at MARIENEHE, and a number of sticks of bombs have fallen in and near the housing estate at SCHULTOW to the South-West of the factory. A number of creators and scattered incidents are seen to the S.W., E. and N. of the town and the village of DIERKOW, 1 + miles N.N.E. of ROSTOCK has been badly damaged by fire. NOTE: A damage plot showing the total damage to the town, from all four raids is distributed with this report. DETAILS OF DAMAGE 1. RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL (a) OLD TOWN This part of the town has been the most severely damaged, approximately 130 acres of nearly 3/4 of the old town having been devastated. 5/121 5/123 No statistics are available concerning the type and density of buildings in ROSTOCK, but it is estimated that at least 1000 houses have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair in the Old Town area alone.... The devastated area stretches the whole length of the Old Town |