Josef Ulsamer was born in Kiel, Germany in 1917. During World War II, Ulsamer served in the Luftwaffe as a pilot and navigator onboard a Ju-88 reconnaissance aircraft. He was killed in action on October 18, 1942, when his aircraft was shot down by American fighters over Iceland. He was 25 years old. The Ju-88 was one of the first aircraft to be shot down by American aircraft in the European Theatre in World War II.

Biographical information derived from collection materials.

On October 18, 1942, a German reconnaissance aircraft was reported by American pilot Lieutenant Joseph D. Shaffer as he flew over Þingvellir, Iceland. The aircraft was a Junkers Ju-88 D-5 of Aufklärungsstaffel 1 (Reconnaissance Squadron 1) based in Sola. Shaffer, flying a P-39 Aircobra out of Patterson Field near Keflavík, fired at and chased the Ju-88 into a cloud over Hvalfjörður. The Ju-88 later crashed into a ravine near Svínaskarð. Fifteen days later, the United States Army Air Forces found the crash site and identified the three crewmembers killed in action: Lt. Harald Osthus (F), Lt. Josef Ulsamar (B), and Fw. Franz Kirchmann (Bf), all aged between 22 and 30 years old. At the time, Ju-88 aircraft were typically crewed with four airmen. Investigators were concerned that a fourth crewmember had survived and escaped into the Iceland countryside. Further investigation determined that a fourth crewman as well as some armament had been left behind to lighten the aircraft and increase its range. There were bullet holes throughout the tail section of the Ju-88, however examination of the wreckage and Shaffer’s P-39 determined that the cause of the crash was due to a collision rather than weapons fire. While chasing the Ju-88 through the cloud, Shaffer’s propeller hit its tail section. Various items were salvaged from the crash site, including aerial cameras, radio components and armor plating. The Ju-88 was the second aircraft to be shot down by American airmen during World War II and the first to crash on Iceland itself. The U.S.Army Air Forces obtained permission for the three German airmen to be buried in a cemetery in Brautarholt, Iceland. They were later moved to a memorial site at Fossvogur Cemetery in Reykjavik in 1957 alongside 14 other German soldiers that had been killed in action in Iceland during World War II.

Sources:

“Iceland Base Command.” Wikipedia. July 3, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_Base_Command. Accessed October 10, 2019.

Johnsen, Frederick A. “Captured Eagles: Secrets of the Luftwaffe.” New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.

Larson, Knut. “Nordic Aviation During WWII: Loss Register.” https://www.rafandluftwaffe.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Fernaufkla%CC%88rung.pdf. Accessed October 10, 2019.

Magnússon, Magnús R. and History Department of Swavesey Village College. “Reconnaissance Over Iceland.” June 7, 2005. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/23/a4162123.shtml. Accessed October 10, 2019.

United States National Archives. “U.S. Army, U.S. Forces, European Theater, Historical Division: Records, 1941-1946.” Fold3. https://www.fold3.com/image/291735129. Accessed October 10, 2019.

World War II Crash Sites in Iceland. “Junkers Ju 88, Svínaskarð, Esja. October 18, 1942.” March 27, 2018. https://stridsminjar.is/a-list-of-crash-sites-by-year/incidents-in-1942/71-junkers-ju-88-svinaskardh-esja-october-18-1942. Accessed October 10, 2019.