Episode 27: Red-Blooded American in the Red Army - The True Story of Joseph Beyrle, the Only Soldier to Fight for Both American and the Soviet Union in World War II, Part I

 

Joseph Beyrle was one of the enlisted in the US Army Paratroopers in 1942 after graduating high school and was sent to Camp Toccoa, Georgia for airborne training. In July 1942, the first 5,000 men arrived at Camp Toccoa and by the end of the war, 17,000 paratroopers had been trained there. In 2001, training at Camp Toccoa was portrayed in the HBO mini series Band of Brothers.

Band of Brothers - based on the Stephen Ambrose book of the same name - followed the exploits of one company the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The regiment's motto Currahee is thought to be a Cherokee word that means "stands alone" which is exactly what paratroopers when they drop behind enemy lines in combat. They stand alone until reinforcements are able to reach them.

One hallmark of training at Camp Toccoa was running up Currahee mountain - three miles up and three miles down.

 After arriving in England to await the invasion and liberation of France, Joe Beyrle become the first American Soldier to jump into occupied France and he did it alone, twice, to deliver funds to the French resistance. He was selected for this secret mission in part because he unofficially had the most jumps of anyone in the 101st Airborne Division. Back in Georgia, he discovered he LOVED jumping out of perfectly good airplanes so he would often pose as other paratroops and make jumps for them. They were afraid of being injured and subsequently kicked out of the airborne. Beyrle apparently didn't have the same concerns, charged $5 a pop to jump in someone's place and earned the nickname Jumpin' Joe.

His third jump into France happened right around midnight on June 6, 1944 when 6,000 American and 1,000 British paratroopers jumped into Normandy, France to kick off the liberation of Europe on what would become known as D-Day.

Just hours before the jump, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower visited the Currahees and the rest of the paratroopers before their operation. Ike had gone to the airfield hoping to bluster the resolve of the young men about to jump into war. He later said that it was his resolve that was blustered when he saw the determination on the paratroopers' faces. They had found a cause they were willing to risk their lives for. There were ready to do what needed to be done.