Joseph Beyrle

Joseph Beyrle
Sgt. Beyrle in Ramsbury, 1943
Nickname(s)	"Jumpin' Joe"
Born	(1923-08-25)August 25, 1923 Muskegon, Michigan
Died	December 12, 2004(2004-12-12) (aged 81)
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army Red Army
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Technician Fourth Grade
Service number	16085985
Unit	506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division 1st Battalion, 1st Guards Tank Brigade, Red Army
Battles/wars	World War II *Operation Overlord
Awards	Glider Badge Parachutist Badge Distinguished Unit Citation Bronze Star Medal Combat Infantryman Badge Purple Heart Prisoner of War Medal Army Good Conduct Medal American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal French Croix de guerre Russian Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" Russian Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Russian Order of the Patriotic War Russian Order of Friendship of Peoples

Joseph R. Beyrle (August 25, 1923 – December 12, 2004) is thought to be the only American soldier to have served with both the United States Army and the Soviet Army in World War II. Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Beyrle graduated from high school in 1942 with the promise of a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, but enlisted in the army instead.

Upon his enlistment, Beyrle chose to become a paratrooper, joining the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne's "Screaming Eagles" division, specializing in radio communications and demolition, and was first stationed in Ramsbury, England to prepare for the upcoming Allied invasion from the west. After nine months of training, Beyrle completed two missions in occupied France in April and May 1944, delivering gold to the French Resistance.

On June 6, D-Day, Beyrle's C-47 came under enemy fire over the Normandy coast, and he was forced to jump from the exceedingly low altitude of 120 meters. After landing in Saint-Côme-du-Mont, Sergeant Beyrle lost contact with his fellow paratroopers, but succeeded in blowing up a power station. He performed other sabotage missions before being captured by German soldiers a few days later.

Over the next seven months, Beyrle was held in seven different German prisons. He escaped twice, only to be recaptured each time. Beyrle and his fellow prisoners had been hoping to find the Red Army, which was a short distance away. After the second escape (in which he and his companions set out for Poland but boarded a train to Berlin by mistake), Beyrle was turned over to the Gestapo by a German civilian. Beaten and tortured, he was released to the German military after officials stepped in and determined that the Gestapo had no jurisdiction over prisoners of war. The Gestapo were about to shoot Beyrle and his comrades, claiming that he was an American spy who had parachuted into Berlin.