Joseph "Jumpin' Joe" Beyrle.

[ibaya]

... the only World War II soldier to fight for both the Americans and the Soviets, died on Sunday a hero for two nations. He was 81.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6708873/

[Mozzabloke]

Shame they got the title of the book about him wrong it should be 'The Simple Sounds of Freedom' Which I highly recommend by the way.

Mark

[Dave]

I'm sorry to hear of his passing!

Actually, he wasn't the only US soldier to fight for the Soviets. I know of at least one other:

Brigadier General William Ross Bond.

William Bond was born on December 4, 1918, in Portland, Maine. He graduated in 1940 from the University of Maryland.

In 1940, after a year at law school, he enlisted in the Army and soon rose through the ranks to Staff Sergeant. He was selected to go through the Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in September 1942. He was then assigned to the 82d Airborne Division. He moved overseas with the unit and participated in the invasion of Sicily. He then volunteered for duty with "Darby's Rangers,” was assigned to the First Ranger Battalion, and lead his company onto the beach just west of Salerno, Italy, in 1943.

Bond's Ranger unit was soon involved in a fierce battle to gain control of the high ground above Venafro. The Rangers dislodged the Germans and the way was then open for the Allied advance.

Next, Bond and his Rangers made the amphibious assault at Anzio on January 22, 1944. Then, on January 29-30, the entire Ranger force made its ill-fated night attack at Cisterna. The Ranger force fought on for over five hours until all ammunition was exhausted. At the time of surrender, the force had been reduced to half of its original 900 men. For Captain Bond's heroics, he was awarded the Silver Star.

Bond became a prisoner of the Germans for the next 11 months and was confined to a prisoner of war camp in Poland. When Russian forces breached the German lines in early January 1945, Bond made his escape to Soviet lines. For several weeks, Captain Bond became part of a Red Army Reconnaissance Detachment. The war soon ended and Bond returned home.

The rest of Bond's biography can be found at:

http://www.infantry.army.mil/museum/..._gallery01.htm

He's most noted for being the only American general officer killed by small arms fire in Vietnam.

--Dave

[Lapa]

Guys,

The article on Beyrle mentions that he wore his US awards on one side of his chest and his Soviet awards on the other side. Anybody knows what Soviet awards he received?

Marc

[ibaya]

Originally Posted by Lapa

Guys,

The article on Beyrle mentions that he wore his US awards on one side of his chest and his Soviet awards on the other side. Anybody knows what Soviet awards he received?

Marc

During his visit to attend the 59th anniversary of victory over Germany celebrations, he was the sole American in the parade. He was also given a presentation AK-47 personally by M. Kalashnikov.

From the Washington Post:

In a 1994 ceremony at the White House, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin presented Mr. Beyrle with four medals for his service with the Red Army. "It was the proudest moment of his life," said his son John Beyrle, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow

I found a photo of him, appears that he was awarded 1) Order of the Red Banner, 2) Order of the Great Patriotic War 2nd Class, 3) Veteran of Labor, 4) 50th Jubilee Medal for Victory over Germany. He also sports various other badges and pins which seem post-Soviet in nature. I'm attaching the photo.

[dannybou]

Looks like a Red Star besides his RB.

[Dolf]

Impressive!

What is that big Medal above his Order of Red Banner, his OGPW and as Danny says what seems to be a ORS?

I can see on his left brest a US Purple Heart and (Coastie correct me if I'm wrong) a Silver Star among others.
Coastie, no Medal of Honor?

Thanks,

Dolf

[Dave]

Looks like he's wearing a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, European Theater campaign medal, and a POW medal on the bottom. His BSM was a CIB award, his PH was an award for being a POW. He was actually (interestingly) never decorated by the US for combat in WW2.

I believe Beyrle's son was a fairly senior diplomat in Moscow at the end of the Cold War. That could account for the Soviet decorations he received. As I recall, his son made quite the big deal about his father, bring him considerable fame in the USSR in the era of perestroika.

--Dave

[Dolf]

Ok, so it's a Bronze Star and not a Silver Star as I thought.

Thanks Dave.

Dolf

[ibaya]

Originally Posted by Dave

I believe Beyrle's son was a fairly senior diplomat in Moscow at the end of the Cold War. That could account for the Soviet decorations he received. As I recall, his son made quite the big deal about his father, bring him considerable fame in the USSR in the era of perestroika.

--Dave

It could also be a case of high honors being bestowed on the dwindling number of veterans remaining, in the spirit of honoring the generation as a whole. For example, the OGPW 1985 issue to surviving veterans, France's awarding the Legion of Honor to survivng American veterans who fought in France during WW1 in 1990's. And who knows, maybe some of the combat achievements he performed while he attached himself to that tank battalion would have met the same criteria for similar awards to a Soviet soldier.

The Veteran of Labor seemed unusual, but may have been more appropriate for someone who did not retire from the Soviet military

And yes, I did forget to list the Order of the Red Star --- good attention to detail!