Joseph R. Beyrle is the only American soldier to have served with both the US Army and the Soviet Red Army in World War II. A Michigan native, he enlisted in 1942, becoming a paratrooper with the 506th PIR, 101st AB specializing in communications and demolitions. After 9 months of training, Beyrle completed 2 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 low altitude of 120 meters. After landing in Saint-Côme-du-Mont, 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 7 months, Beyrle was held in 7 different German prisons. He escaped twice, only to be recaptured each time. Beyrle was then taken to the Stalag III-C POW camp in Alt Drewitz, from which he escaped in early January 1945. He headed east, linking up with a Russian Tank Division and persuaded the battalion's commander to allow him to fight alongside the unit on its way to Berlin, thus beginning his month-long stint where his demolitions expertise was appreciated. He helped free his former camp, Stalag III-C, but was wounded during an attack by German Stuka dive bombers. He was evacuated to a Soviet hospital where he received a visit from Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov, intrigued by the only non-Soviet in the hospital, to which he provided Beyrle official papers in order to rejoin American forces. Beyrle arrived at the US embassy in Moscow in February 1945, only to learn that he had been reported by the US as KIA on June 10, 1944; his identity was established through his fingerprints. He passed away in 2004 #badass #stayzero #ww2 #zerofoxtrot