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