June 6, 1944. An American paratrooper jumps to Normandy in the dark and lands on a church roof. By the end of the war he was declared dead, had a funeral he did not attend, escaped the Nazis and fought his way to Berlin in a Soviet tank unit. His name was Joseph Bierle. He is believed to be the only American soldier who served in both the US Army and the Red Army during World War II. Beyer was from Muskegon, Michigan. He joined the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles. His friends called him Jumping Joe. On the night of D-Day his plane was hit and he jumped early. He landed on the roof of the church, slipped and lost his unit in the chaos. For several days he fought on his own, blew up a power plant and cut off the German connection. Then he was caught. This is where it gets weird. Eventually a German soldier wore a Bierles uniform and dog tags. This German was killed. When the body was found, the Americans identified it as Joseph Bierle. The army told his parents that their son was dead. His hometown held a funeral mass for him. His obituary was published in the local newspaper. Meanwhile, he was very much alive, being moved from one German prison camp to another. He ran away more than once. Once he and two other prisoners jumped off a train heading east. They thought they were going to Russia and freedom. They got lost and ended up in Berlin, where they were caught by the Gestapo, beaten and tortured. In January 1945, from a camp in East Germany, he finally managed to escape cleanly. He went east, towards the shooting. Towards the Soviets. When he found a Soviet tank unit, he came out with his hands up, holding a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, and yelled at the only Russian he knew. American friend. It worked. He asked to join them. And they said yes. For about a month, an American paratrooper rode with Soviet tank crews as they pushed toward Germany. He used his demolition training. he fought

June 6, 1944. An American paratrooper jumps to Normandy in the dark and lands on a church roof. By the end of the war he was declared dead, had a funeral he did not attend, escaped the Nazis and fought his way to Berlin in a Soviet tank unit. His name was Joseph Bierle. He is believed to be the only American soldier who served in both the US Army and the Red Army during World War II. Beyer was from Muskegon, Michigan. He joined the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles. His friends called him Jumping Joe. On the night of D-Day his plane was hit and he jumped early. He landed on the roof of the church, slipped and lost his unit in the chaos. For several days he fought on his own, blew up a power plant and cut off the German connection. Then he was caught. This is where it gets weird. Eventually a German soldier wore a Bierles uniform and dog tags. This German was killed. When the body was found, the Americans identified it as Joseph Bierle. The army told his parents that their son was dead. His hometown held a funeral mass for him. His obituary was published in the local newspaper. Meanwhile, he was very much alive, being moved from one German prison camp to another. He ran away more than once. Once he and two other prisoners jumped off a train heading east. They thought they were going to Russia and freedom. They got lost and ended up in Berlin, where they were caught by the Gestapo, beaten and tortured. In January 1945, from a camp in East Germany, he finally managed to escape cleanly. He went east, towards the shooting. Towards the Soviets. When he found a Soviet tank unit, he came out with his hands up, holding a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, and yelled at the only Russian he knew. American friend. It worked. He asked to join them. And they said yes. For about a month, an American paratrooper rode with Soviet tank crews as they pushed toward Germany. He used his demolition training. he fought