State of Michigan, Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Amazing Exploits of World War II Michigan Paratrooper Highlight Nov. 9 Veterans Tribute in Lansing October 29, 2003 "... Jumping with his regiment on the night before D-Day, [Joseph Beyrle] landed on the roof of a church and was captured two days later. He escaped and then was recaptured by Nazis, who gave his dog-tag identification to a German soldier who was subsequently killed attempting to enter the American lines. ... Later, after more escapes, captures and a brush with execution by the German Gestapo, Beyrle ended up with a Russian unit commanded by a female officer on the Eastern front. He became the only soldier to fight for both the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II. Beyrle, now 80 years old, readily recalls his military exploits, which are the subject of the book The Simple Sounds of Freedom. Thomas Taylor, the book's author, is the son of General Maxwell Taylor, wartime commander of the 101st Airborne Division. ..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - United States Embassy, Moscow, Russia DCM Beyrle Visits Vladivostok -- Part Two; Vladivostok, 2003-05-09 During his three-day visit to Vladivostok, [Deputy Chief of Mission] John Beyrle engaged in an intensive schedule of public speaking and live media interviews. Two of the most significant media events are reported here: John's interview with Andrey Kalachinskiy on the popular TV call-in show "Navstrechu," and his foreign policy speech to the students of Far East State University (DVGU). ... Kalachinskiy concluded the one-on-one interview by reviewing the poll results for the evening. Surprisingly, the poll reflected a very strong pro-American trend, at least in comparison to other more scientific polls that have been taken recently in Russia. About 450 persons called in, and while 35% said that the Iraq war had lowered their opinion of the United States, over 39% said their estimation of the U.S. had actually gone up, while 25% said the war had no effect. Kalachinskiy then threw the phones open for call-in questions. The first caller was Yuriy Filatov, the head of Vladivostok's Geophysical Society. Filatov said that he didn't have a question, per se, but he did want to say that he was very ashamed of the fact that many Russians had forgotten about what good allies the United States and the Soviet Union had been during the Second World War. Very few still remembered the masses of Lend-Lease equipment that had passed through Vladivostok on the way to the front, and Filatov wanted to remedy this. He proposed that a memorial plaque be placed on the "Little Washington" building that had housed American Lend-Lease officials in Vladivostok. John heartily agreed with the suggestion, and said that the Embassy and our Consulate in Vladivostok would strongly support such a proposal. The DCM said that he knew better than most how close the United States and the Soviet Union had been during the war because his father, Joseph Beyrle, had actually fought for both the Americans and the Soviets. Captured during the Normandy invasion, Joe Beyrle escaped from a German prison camp and made his way to the nearest allied lines, which happened to be Russian. He joined a Soviet unit in the middle of a battle and wound up serving for several weeks as a machine gunner on a Lend-Lease Sherman Tank. Seriously wounded, he was visited in hospital by Marshal Zhukov, who gave him transit papers to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. When he showed up at the front door of the Embassy, everyone was very surprised, because he had been listed as killed in action in Normandy. After fingerprints verified his identity, he was evacuated to the United States via Odessa. Years later, he visited his own grave at one of the U.S. military cemeteries in France. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Further information on Joseph Beyrle: Moscow Times: U.S. Soldier Ended Up in Soviet Army, May 7, 2004 The Weekly Standard: Resident Evil: How Berlin is dealing with the most feared address in Europe., December 10, 2003 506th PIR Millennium Reunion: Photo of Joseph R. Beyrle, Sr., (I Co, 3rd BN, 506th PIR, 1942-1945), organizer and chairman of the Toccoa PIR Reunion, was Master of Ceremonies at the marker dedication Historyofmilitary.com: The Simple Sounds of Freedom: The True Story of the Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II [ 08. June 2004, 10:08 PM: Message edited by: Deep Web Diver ]
What a story Mr. Beryle must have had to tell his great grandkids! Serving on the Russian Eastern Front and landing on D-Day with the famed 101st Screaming Eagles.
Yeah, that's a great story. I'm sure there can't be a lot of veterans that can claim to have dropped over Normandy AND fought on the Eastern Front!
Truly remarkable story DWD! Where/How did you come across it? It's amazing that this guy's story is so unknown despite the seeming historical microscope that the 101st has been under. You are a Deep Web Diver indeed! Are you some sort of research specialist/intelligence officer or something?
Otto, you're alive! Glad you're finally back! Good to see you! There's a lot of work around here to do!
NBC News ran a story on Joe Beyrle recently: Uncommon hero for two nations; GI joined invasion, was captured, escaped and fought with Soviets
