Joseph Beyrle

Joseph Robert Beyrle (pron. BYE-er-lee) (Russian: Джозеф Роберт Байерли; romanized: Dzhozef Robert Bayyerli; August 25, 1923 – December 12, 2004) was the only known American soldier to have served in combat with both the United States Army and the Soviet Red Army in World War II. He took part in Mission Albany, the airborne landings of the 101st Airborne Division on June 5–6, 1944, as a member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was captured by the Germans and sent east as a prisoner of war. After several unsuccessful attempts, Beyrle escaped from the German Stalag III-C in January 1945 and joined a Soviet tank battalion under the command of Aleksandra Samusenko. Wounded, he was evacuated and eventually made his way to the United States in April 1945. Beyrle died in 2004 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His son John Beyrle later became the United States Ambassador to Russia.