{"id":209074,"date":"2025-06-06T20:45:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T01:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=209074"},"modified":"2025-10-09T06:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T11:26:52","slug":"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\/","title":{"rendered":"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">0<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that I\u2019m 58 years old, I have earned the privilege of retrospection. Had you asked me when I was eighteen to list the top 150 things I thought I might be doing for a living at 58, writing would not have made the list. God\u2019s got a weird sense of humor sometimes. &#8220;Jumpin&#8217; Joe&#8221; Beyrle learned this as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"866\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-866x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle in uniform\" class=\"wp-image-209076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-866x1024.jpg 866w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-254x300.jpg 254w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-127x150.jpg 127w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-768x908.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle.jpg 1078w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joseph Beyrle jumped into Normandy with the 101st Airborne but ended the war fighting with a Soviet tank battalion. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-origin-story\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle Origin Story<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-beyrle-to-war\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">Beyrle to War<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-chaos-inc\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">Chaos, Inc<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-itinerant-paratrooper-jumpin-joe-beyrle\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">The Itinerant Paratrooper &#8211; \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-swapping-uniforms\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">Swapping Uniforms<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-war-must-go-on\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">The War Must Go On<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-rest-of-the-story-for-jumpin-joe\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">The Rest of the Story for &#8220;Jumpin&#8217; Joe&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-ruminations\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-level=\"2\">Ruminations<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Oftentimes, little things become big things. In the superb book&nbsp;<em>Bravo<\/em><em> Two Zero<\/em>&nbsp;by Andy McNab, a group of <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/miracle-at-mirbat-when-a-sas-operator-singlehandedly-held-off-an-army-with-a-howitzer\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"465\">SAS operators<\/a> on the run during the First Gulf War commandeer a car. As they work their way toward Syria, they inadvertently get stuck in traffic waiting at a roadblock. Before they can do much about it, Iraqi troops surveilling the stalled row of cars discover their presence. Things get all kinetic from there. It is a great read. Perhaps we will explore that further here sometime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"672\" height=\"592\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.57.32\u202fPM.jpg\" alt=\"Bravo Two Zero group before insertion\" class=\"wp-image-209085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.57.32\u202fPM.jpg 672w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.57.32\u202fPM-341x300.jpg 341w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.57.32\u202fPM-150x132.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is the Bravo Two Zero patrol before insertion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The fascinating bit to me, however, was how their relative seating positions in the car ultimately determined their fates. Two guys were initially sitting side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder. One man went out the left, while the other went out the right. One guy lived, while his counterpart died. It\u2019s tough to hear stories like that and not suspect that a higher power is orchestrating the affairs of men. You can certainly see the vagaries of Providence at work in the amazing life of Joseph Beyrle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-origin-story\">Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle Origin Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Joseph Beyrle was born on 25 August 1923, in Muskegon, Michigan. The third of seven kids born to Elizabeth and William Beyrle. Joseph\u2019s parents had immigrated from Germany in the late 1800s. The boy was six when the Great Depression ravaged his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM-1024x698.jpg\" alt=\"black and white photo of CCC trucks with men in the back ready to go work\" class=\"wp-image-209086\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM-1024x698.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM-400x273.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM-150x102.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM-768x523.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM-1536x1047.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.58.48\u202fPM.jpg 1864w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The CCC took young unemployed men during the Great Depression and kept them busy on public service projects. Many of the structures in the state parks near my home were built by CCC men. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>William Beyrle lost his job as a factory worker, and the family lost their home. They were forced to move in with Joseph\u2019s grandmother. Two of his older brothers dropped out of school to work for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and make money to keep the family from starving. His older sister succumbed to scarlet fever when she was sixteen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like so many of his generation, in the early 1940s, with the entire world in flames, Beyrle joined the Army. He subsequently volunteered for airborne training at Camp Toccoa in Georgia. Upon graduation, Beyrle was assigned to the 506<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;Airborne Division. Joseph Beyrle was a Screaming Eagle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-beyrle-to-war\">Beyrle to War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"821\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM-1024x821.jpg\" alt=\"black and white aerial photo of Operation Varsity\" class=\"wp-image-209087\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM-1024x821.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM-374x300.jpg 374w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM-150x120.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM-768x616.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM-1536x1231.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.00.25\u202fPM.jpg 1582w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Operation Varsity saw some 16,000 paratroopers delivered by 1,500 transport planes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The D-Day invasion was not the largest airborne operation in military history. That would be Operation Varsity, which took place in March of 1945 and involved 16,000 American paratroopers. However, the American airborne component of Overlord, code-named Missions Albany and Boston, placed 13,400 skytroopers on the ground in the early hours of 6 June 1944. Sergeant Joseph Beyrle was one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Jumpin&#8217; Joe&#8221; Beyrle was a specialist in radio communications and demolition. As the radios of the day were both huge and notoriously unreliable, he spent most of his professional energy blowing stuff up. By the time he actually went on to combat, Beyrle had undergone nine months\u2019 worth of focused training conducted at Ramsbury, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As extraordinary as the mass parachute assault into Normandy was, this was not Beyrle\u2019s first trip downrange. In April and May of 1944, the young paratrooper had made covert insertions into mainland Europe to deliver gold to Resistance leaders. However, on 6 June, it was game on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-chaos-inc\">Chaos, Inc<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM-940x1024.jpg\" alt=\"D-D parachute group near an airplane\" class=\"wp-image-209088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM-940x1024.jpg 940w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM-276x300.jpg 276w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM-138x150.jpg 138w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM-768x836.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM-1411x1536.jpg 1411w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-4.02.21\u202fPM.jpg 1462w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The actual D-Day parachute drop was not much like training. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It has been said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Joseph Beyrle&#8217;s experience was no exception. For starters, Beyrle\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalmuseum.af.mil\/Visit\/Museum-Exhibits\/Fact-Sheets\/Display\/Article\/196271\/douglas-c-47d-skytrain\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\">C-47 Skytrain<\/a> took fire as soon as it cleared the Normandy coast. This forced the pilot to maneuver the big transport plane both low and fast. When SGT Beyrle finally made his jump, it was from an altitude of 360 feet. To put that in perspective, training jumps in airborne school are conducted from 1,250 feet. At anything less than around 500 feet, one need not bother with a reserve chute. At that altitude, if something goes wrong, there won\u2019t be time to do anything about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The D-Day night parachute drop was chaos personified. SGT Beyrle got separated from his unit after landing at Saint-Come-du-Mont. However, he quickly gathered his wits and blew up a nearby power station. He wandered about sowing mayhem for another few days before being captured by the Germans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-itinerant-paratrooper-jumpin-joe-beyrle\">The Itinerant Paratrooper &#8211; \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Germans evacuated their captured POWs as soon as possible. That helped disincentivize escape. However, SGT Joseph Beyrle was having none of that. Over the next seven months, Beyrle was shuffled among seven different German prison camps. Along the way, he escaped twice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"656\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-POW-656x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Joseph Beyrle's POW picture.\" class=\"wp-image-209080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-POW-656x1024.jpg 656w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-POW-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-POW-96x150.jpg 96w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-POW-768x1199.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-POW.jpg 812w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is Joseph Beyrle&#8217;s POW picture. Yeah, he looks like the sort that might cause trouble.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Krauts had moved him far to the east, and Beyrle knew he was close to the advancing Soviets. After his second escape, Beyrle and a few buddies inadvertently boarded a German train headed for Berlin. He had originally thought the train had been destined for Poland. A German civilian recognized the Allied prisoners as being suspicious and notified the Gestapo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyrle and his comrades were picked up in short order and badly beaten. The Gestapo goons declared the men spies and made ready to execute them. Fortunately, <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/german-military-handguns\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"462\">German military<\/a> officials intervened and relocated Beyrle to the Stalag III-C POW camp in Alt Drewitz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document-1024x787.jpg\" alt=\"Joseph &quot;Jumpin' Joe&quot; Beyrle POW registration document\" class=\"wp-image-209083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document-1024x787.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document-390x300.jpg 390w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document-150x115.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document-768x590.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document-1536x1180.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/POW-Document.jpg 1606w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is Joseph Beyrle&#8217;s POW registration document. The Germans just couldn&#8217;t seem to keep him contained.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By early January 1945, &#8220;Jumpin&#8217; Joe&#8221; Beyrle was getting stir crazy yet again. He escaped east in hopes of connecting with the advancing Red Army. On this, his third try, he successfully pulled it off.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-swapping-uniforms\">Swapping Uniforms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"514\" height=\"772\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alexsandra-Samusenko.jpg\" alt=\"Soviet tank battalion commander Alexsandra Samusenko\" class=\"wp-image-209079\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alexsandra-Samusenko.jpg 514w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alexsandra-Samusenko-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Alexsandra-Samusenko-100x150.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 514px) 100vw, 514px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is Soviet tank battalion commander Alexsandra Samusenko. She was a legend in her own right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Wandering across a war zone in one of the most frigid winters in European history, SGT Beyrle happened upon a Soviet tank brigade. With his hands raised, he offered the skeptical Russians a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes and shouted, \u201cAmerikansky Tovarisch!\u201d (American Comrade!). The Russians held their fire and escorted him to meet their battalion commander, Aleksandra Samusenko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samusenko was herself a legend. The only female tank battalion commander of the war, Samusenko fought in Finland with the infantry before training as a tanker assigned to the 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;Guards Tank Army. While there, she was decorated with the Order of the Red Star after her tank engaged and destroyed three German Tiger I\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samusenko folded the lost American into her unit, making good use of his demolition skills as they advanced deep into Germany. The woman had already lost her entire family to the war. With the conflict winding down, Samusenko was eventually crushed under the tracks of a German assault gun during the East Pomeranian Offensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-war-must-go-on\">The War Must Go On<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"843\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russian-Medical-Records-843x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Joseph &quot;Jumpin' Joe&quot; Beyrle Russian medical report\" class=\"wp-image-209081\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russian-Medical-Records-843x1024.jpg 843w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russian-Medical-Records-247x300.jpg 247w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russian-Medical-Records-123x150.jpg 123w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russian-Medical-Records-768x933.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russian-Medical-Records.jpg 1040w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 843px) 100vw, 843px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is Joseph Beyrle&#8217;s Russian medical report. He met Soviet Marshal Zhukov while recovering from wounds in Poland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Samusenko\u2019s tank battalion eventually liberated Stalag III-C, the camp from which SGT Beyrle had escaped in the first place. However, in early February, Beyrle was wounded in an attack by German Stuka dive bombers. He was medically evacuated through the Russian system until he eventually ended up at Gorz\u00f3w Wielkopolski in Poland. While recovering, Beyrle met Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov. Zhukov was incredulous that an American soldier could have been wounded while serving with Soviet forces. As a result, the famous Soviet Marshal saw to it that Beyrle received the appropriate travel documents to get him to the American embassy in Moscow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"730\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq-1024x730.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the western union notice that Joseph &quot;Jumpin' Joe&quot; Beyrle family got stating he had died on D-Day. \" class=\"wp-image-209082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq-1024x730.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq-400x285.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq-1536x1095.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Telegram-Jrossesq.jpg 1596w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Beyrle&#8217;s family received notice that he had been killed in action soon after D-Day. (Photo\/Jrossesq).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s all great, but Beyrle had been reported as killed in action four days after D-Day. His family had already attended his funeral mass in Muskegon, and reports of his demise had been widely distributed in the local newspaper. Embassy staff placed him under guard until they could verify his identity via fingerprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-rest-of-the-story-for-jumpin-joe\">The Rest of the Story for &#8220;Jumpin&#8217; Joe&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-Tombstone-767x1024.jpg\" alt=\"headstone for Joseph &quot;Jumpin' Joe&quot; Beyrle\" class=\"wp-image-209077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-Tombstone-767x1024.jpg 767w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-Tombstone-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-Tombstone-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-Tombstone-768x1025.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Joseph-Beyrle-Tombstone.jpg 950w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When he finally died, SSG Joseph Beyrle was laid to rest alongside the many American heroes at Arlington National Cemetery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>SGT Joseph Beyrle finally made it back home on 21 April 1945, nearly a year after having been declared dead. The following year, he married JoAnne Hollowell in the same church where his funeral mass had been conducted back in 1944. The same priest officiated both services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like so many of those great old heroes, Joseph Beyrle came home ready to make a new life for himself. He took a job with the Brunswick Corporation and worked there for 28 years, retiring as a shipping supervisor. He and JoAnne raised three children. Beyrle died in 2004 at age 81 in Toccoa, Georgia, the same place where he learned to be a paratrooper. He was buried alongside his fellow heroes at Arlington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ MORE HERE: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-battle-for-the-la-fiere-bridge-i-know-of-no-better-spot-to-die\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\">Dr Dabbs \u2013 The Battle for the La Fi\u00e8re Bridge: \u201cI Know of No Better Spot to Die\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ruminations\">Ruminations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SSG Joseph Beyrle\u2019s list of military decorations is unique. In addition to his airborne wings, Beyrle earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the WW2 Victory Medal. He was awarded the French Croix de guerre as well as the Soviet Order of the Red Banner. He was also decorated by the Russians for participating in the liberation of Warsaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When &#8220;Jumpin\u2019 Joe&#8221; Beyrle first walked into that Army recruiting office and volunteered for the paratroopers, there is no way he could have imagined the places that decision might take him. Beyrle infiltrated occupied Europe twice, jumped into Normandy, cycled through seven different POW camps, and was very nearly executed by the Gestapo in Berlin. He later earned international fame fighting alongside the Soviets in their march toward Berlin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.49.48\u202fPM-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"John Beyrle, son of  Joseph Beyrle\" class=\"wp-image-209078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.49.48\u202fPM-768x1025.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.49.48\u202fPM-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.49.48\u202fPM-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-10-at-3.49.48\u202fPM.jpg 898w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is Joseph Betrle&#8217;s son, John. He served as US Ambassador to Russia from 2008 through 2012. (Photo\/ \u0412\u0435\u043d\u0438 \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0441\u043a\u0438)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Later in life, Beyrle was formally recognized by both Presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin during the 50<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;anniversary of the D-Day invasion. His son, John Beyrle, was eventually named Ambassador to Russia. Having killed Germans alongside both the Americans and the Russians, Joseph Beyrle was a legendary warrior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\" title=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When &#8220;Jumpin\u2019 Joe&#8221; Beyrle first walked into that Army recruiting office and volunteered there is no way he could have imagined the places that decision might take him. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":215940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[772],"tags":[1115,102,636,2836,1114],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-209074","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-will-dabbs","8":"tag-d-day","9":"tag-feature-articles","10":"tag-history","11":"tag-will-dabbs","12":"tag-wwii"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Joseph &quot;Jumpin&#039; Joe&quot; Beyrle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the unstoppable Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle, the American paratrooper who fought in D-Day and ended up fighting for the Russians.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"D-Day &amp; Joseph \u201cJumpin\u2019 Joe\u201d Beyrle: The American Paratrooper who Killed Germans for the Russians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When &quot;Jumpin\u2019 Joe&quot; Beyrle first walked into that Army recruiting office and volunteered there is no way he could have imagined the places that decision might take him.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-07T01:45:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-09T11:26:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Joseph-Beyrle.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"974\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"771\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Will Dabbs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"21 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/joseph-jumpin-joe-beyrle-american-paratrooper\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Will Dabbs\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b818f415191c071a88bdc0d8cb33eca\"},\"headline\":\"D-Day &amp; 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. 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