John L. Jorstad

The Man Behind the Name

§ Biography

Major John L. Jorstad served as co-pilot aboard B-24D serial 42-86897, piloted by Lt. Col. Addison Baker, on the August 1, 1943 low-level raid against the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania. The aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire during the attack and crashed and burned in the town of Ploesti at an altitude of 300 feet or less. Jorstad did not survive the crash and was reported as a battle casualty.

Service record.

§ As Catalogued

Rank

Major

Position

Co-Pilot

Serial Number

0-639749

Missions flown.

1 catalogued · 01 Aug 1943

The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.

№

Date

Target

Aircraft