Joseph Beyrle is believed to be the only U.S. soldier to fight in both American and Soviet units during World War II. That distinction, along with the fact that his son, John Beyrle, is the current U.S. Ambassador to Russia, made Beyrle the focus of a special St. Petersburg exhibition opened on the eve of the 65th anniversary of Russia’s victory over the Nazis.
The exhibition, “Joseph R. Beyrle – A Hero of Two Nations,” presents 260 artifacts from Beyrle’s life and military career, including a collection of his medals, uniform and photographs. Beyrle’s war began on D-day and ended near Berlin, in a Soviet tank battalion.
Beyrle parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944. But after an unlucky landing he lost contact with his unit and was isolated. He nonetheless managed to explode a Nazi electrical substation and toss grenades into a group of Nazi soldiers.
Soon, however, Beyrle was captured. Battered and starved, Beyrle, a member of the 101st Airborne’s “Screamin’ Eagles,” was tortured and interrogated as he moved through seven Nazi prison camps.
American troops found his dog tags on another body, presumably a Nazi spy, on Utah Beach. The War Department registered Beyrle as killed in action, and his parents held a memorial service back home in Muskegon, Michigan.
But then, four months later, they received a postcard. Beyrle, aided by the Red Cross, had sent a short note informing them that he was being held as a POW and was “fine.”
In reality, he was far from fine. He had lost a third of his body weight. He twice attempted to escape and failed. But the third time, in January 1945, proved lucky. He escaped Stalag 3-C POW camp in Alt Drewitz and, after running for a day, got his bearings and decided his best chance was to search for Soviet troops, the only U.S. ally fighting in the area.
“I knew just two words of Russian: ‘Americansky tovarishch’ [American comrade],” Beyrle once recalled. With his hands in the air, he called out to the Soviet troops. He then won their trust by using his demolition skills to blow up trees that had been hindering the Soviet tank brigade’s advance.
Beyrle’s son, Ambassador John Beyrle, attended the opening of the exhibition and said his father really did not tell his children much about his experiences in captivity. But the veteran’s two sons and daughter did manage to extract some information from him about his two weeks fighting with Soviet troops.
“For instance,” Beyrle said, “since we were children, we tortured him with the question of whether he drank vodka with Russians. Our father smiled and said that he did. He said they usually toasted Stalin, Roosevelt and Studebaker.” (Thousands of Studebaker trucks were supplied to the Red Army under Lend-Lease.)
Beyrle said that, for his entire life, his father “was extremely grateful to Russians – who saved him.” And his children inherited his gratitude.
Beyrle fully intended to finish the war with his Soviet unit, but as they advanced on Berlin, he was seriously wounded by a German attack. Recovering in a Russian field hospital, he met Russian Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who gave him a letter of transit to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, from whence he could make his way home to Muskegon.
Yet, after arriving in Moscow, Beyrle faced an unusual problem. When the embassy contacted Washington, they were informed that Beyrle was on the list soldiers killed in action. So Beyrle had to spend a month in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel, waiting to be identified.
Soon after his return to the U.S., Beyrle married. His wedding took place in the same church and was presided over by the same priest who held a requiem mass for Beyrle just a little over a year previous.
After the war, Beyrle returned to Russia several times and traveled widely, despite complications from his war wounds, recounting his story to school and community groups. He wore a vest on which American medals hung on one side, and Soviet medals on the other.
John Beyrle said that, although his father was called “a hero of the two nations,” he always rejected the label.
“He always used to say that real heroes were those who didn’t come back from the war,” Beyrle said. “I’ve known his story all my life, and for me it became a symbol of collaboration between our nations. Now, as an ambassador, I can say that there are more things that unite our countries than separate them. We really need to unite to fight modern common threats like terrorism and even climate change.”
Among Beyrle’s personal effects on display at the exhibition are: a picture of Joe Beyrle at Airborn training camp before his deployment in 1944; the War Department’s unfortunate notification of Beyrle’s death; telegrams notifying Joe’s parents he was captured; and Beyrle’s uniform and boots.
In 1994, Beyrle was awarded a special medal of honor by Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin at ceremonies held on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Front. Beyrle died on December 12, 2004.
The exhibition, which moves to Moscow on May 6, honors Beyrle’s life and highlights U.S.-Soviet cooperation during the war. It also has served as a gathering place for veterans from both countries, for students, journalists and academic experts who are exploring the development of Russian-American relationship over the past 65 years.
Anatoly Tabunshchikov, 81, a veteran of the war who attended the opening in St. Petersburg, said the exhibition “underlines the importance of the Soviet, American and British coalition, which is what enabled us to break the back of Hitler’s machine.” RL
Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.
Russian Life 73 Main Street, Suite 402 Montpelier VT 05602
802-223-4955
[email protected]
