Joseph Beyrle: The Extraordinary WWII Soldier Who Fought for Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union
Joseph Beyrle’s journey through World War II is one of the most unique, showcasing bravery, resilience, and an almost unfathomable series of events. Born in 1923 in Muskegon, Michigan, Beyrle grew up during the Great Depression, where he learned resilience early on. His family, with seven children, endured severe hardships, relying on government food lines to make ends meet. Two of Beyrle’s siblings joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, the government programme for unemployed men. Meanwhile, the family suffered a tragic loss when another sibling passed away from scarlet fever.
While Beyrle was a gifted athlete, earning a baseball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, his life took a fateful turn after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Foregoing university, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, driven by a sense of duty to defend his country. Beyrle joined the U.S. Army Airborne and began rigorous training at Camp Toccoa in Georgia. He was placed with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, known as one of the most elite fighting units in the Allied forces.
Preparing for D-Day: Covert Missions in France
The Allies’ preparations for D-Day were extensive, and Beyrle’s unique skills led to his involvement in a critical mission. Twice before D-Day, he parachuted into occupied France, carrying bags of gold meant to fund the French Resistance. This daring operation displayed Beyrle’s resourcefulness and courage, as he connected with the French underground to aid the impending Allied invasion. It was the beginning of a wartime journey that would see him in some of the most dangerous situations imaginable.
When D-Day finally arrived on June 6, 1944, Beyrle’s mission took a dramatic turn. His C-47 transport plane was struck by German anti-aircraft fire, and he had to jump much earlier than planned. Landing alone in German-occupied territory, he immediately took to sabotaging enemy resources, using his demolition expertise to destroy a local power station. However, his run of luck ended when he encountered a German machine gun nest while moving through a hedgerow. Captured and injured, Beyrle’s life as a prisoner of war began—a harrowing chapter filled with near escapes and profound resilience.
Life as a POW: Escape Attempts and Gestapo Captivity
During his transfer to a German POW camp, Beyrle experienced both Allied firepower and his own relentless will to escape. Allied planes strafed the convoy transporting him, creating chaos that allowed him to attempt an escape, despite injuries sustained during the assault. Unfortunately, his freedom was short-lived as he was recaptured. This time, German soldiers took his dog tags. Ironically, this led to his family receiving notice of his death when a German soldier carrying his tags was killed months later.
In the ensuing months, Beyrle was transferred between seven POW camps across Eastern Germany, enduring hardship, deprivation, and brutal conditions. His resolve to escape remained unbroken, leading him to attempt a second escape with two fellow POWs. The men managed to board a train they hoped would carry them eastward to Soviet forces, but instead, the train looped back to Berlin. There, German railway workers discovered the stowaways and turned them over to the Gestapo. Beyrle and his companions faced intense interrogation and torture, even suffering twisted joints from the brutal treatment. Eventually, the German military intervened, reclaiming the prisoners from the Gestapo to maintain jurisdiction over captured soldiers.
After this harrowing ordeal, Beyrle was sent to Stalag III-C, a POW camp in Poland. He continued to plan his escape, and in January 1945, he seized another opportunity, escaping once more with two other POWs. Recalling the moment, he later said, “We took off and ran through the scrub pines, and then the guard opened up, and the two guys who escaped with me were killed. I made it to the stream and went downstream because they turned the dogs loose at that time.” This time, however, he would not run into more German forces; instead, he found an unexpected ally in the form of the Soviet Red Army.
Fighting for the Soviet Red Army: Beyrle’s Unique Alliance
Having survived countless hardships, Beyrle now found himself face to face with a column of Soviet T-34 tanks. With quick thinking, he produced a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, raised his hands, and shouted the only Russian he knew: “Amerikansky tovarishch!” (American friend). Miraculously, the Soviet forces welcomed him, with a political officer who spoke some English taking an interest in his story. Yet it was a female tank commander who ultimately agreed to let Beyrle fight alongside them. This commander, believed to be Alexandra Samusenko, one of the few known female Soviet tank commanders, became a comrade in his journey to avenge the atrocities committed by German forces.
Beyrle was issued a Soviet uniform and armed with a PPSH-41 submachine gun, allowing him to join the fight. As part of the Soviet battalion, he witnessed firsthand the devastation of the Eastern Front, where brutal conflicts often left little room for mercy. He recalled scenes of unimaginable horror, including one instance where his Soviet comrades killed a German couple, fed the remains to pigs, and later consumed the pigs. Such was the savage reality of warfare on the Eastern Front. Riding on the back of a lend-lease Sherman tank, Beyrle took part in the liberation of his former POW camp, Stalag III-C, finally finding justice in the Soviet counteroffensive.
His time with the Red Army was cut short when he was injured in an attack by a German dive bomber. Taken to a Soviet field hospital in Poland, he faced the challenge of proving his identity once more. It was here that he encountered one of the most revered figures in the Soviet military.
A Meeting with Marshal Zhukov
In a stroke of fortune, Beyrle received a visit from Marshal Georgi Zhukov, the famed Soviet general credited with many of the Soviet Union’s greatest military victories. Zhukov’s curiosity was piqued by the presence of an American soldier in Soviet uniform. Through an interpreter, Zhukov asked Beyrle for his story and concluded their conversation by asking, “Is there anything I can do for you?” Beyrle requested help returning home, and Zhukov honoured his request, providing a letter stamped with his signature and bearing five stars, effectively a passport for Beyrle’s journey back to American forces.
Return to the United States: A Hero’s Welcome
Armed with Zhukov’s letter, Beyrle made his way to Moscow, where he sought assistance from the American embassy. Yet his arrival was met with disbelief. Having been officially reported as deceased, Beyrle’s appearance initially baffled embassy staff, leading to a brief period of house arrest. It wasn’t until his fingerprints confirmed his identity that he was finally repatriated. He returned to the United States just as the war in Europe drew to a close.
Beyrle’s homecoming was marked by both joy and an eerie twist of fate. His family had held a funeral service in his honour, mourning his supposed death. Upon his return, he married his girlfriend JoAnne in 1946, choosing the same church where his funeral had been held two years earlier. Together, they built a family that continued his legacy of resilience and public service. Among their children, his son John would later serve as the U.S. ambassador to Russia, while another son, Joe, would fight with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, following in his father’s footsteps.
Legacy and Recognition
Joseph Beyrle’s unique service as a soldier for both the United States and the Soviet Union has been immortalised in historian Thomas Taylor’s book The Simple Sounds of Freedom. His story gained additional recognition in 2004 when Mikhail Kalashnikov, the creator of the AK-47, presented him with a rifle during a Victory Day celebration in Moscow. That same year, Beyrle passed away from heart failure while visiting Camp Toccoa, the site of his initial airborne training. His remains were interred in Arlington National Cemetery, marking the resting place of the only known American to have fought for both Allied superpowers in World War II.
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