Behind Hitler's Lines: The True Story of the Only Soldier to Fight for both America and the Soviet Union in World War II

298 Pages·2004·2.7 MB·English

by  Thomas H. Taylor

Praise for Behind Hitler's Lines
“Remarkable… Without a doubt, one of the most incredible stories you will ever read.”
—The Roanoke Times
“Every once in a while, a true story comes along that reads like fiction. [This book] is a
remarkable true story about a remarkable American soldier. It grabs you on page one and
never lets go. That Joe Beyrle survived the horror of the German stalags and the Gestapo to
escape and continue fighting against Hitler with the Russian army is a testament to the training
and professionalism of the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division—and to the
courage and fierce determination of the kind of men who served in that storied unit.… One of
the most gripping tales of war you will ever read, and it will be read for generations to come as
a tribute to the inextinguishable love of country and love of freedom of one resilient
American, Joe Beyrle.”
— chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee
SENATOR CARL LEVIN,
“It is a tale of courage and daring, torture and escape, of going to hell and coming back, of
survival against the worst odds: a soldier imprisoned; a paratrooper forced to the ground.”
—The Grand Rapids Press
“Amazing … This is not just another war story. It is a history lesson about courage, fear,
perseverance, revenge and redemption.”
—Muskegon Chronicle
Also by Thomas H. Taylor
NONFICTION
RANGERS, LEAD THE WAY
LIGHTNING IN THE STORM
WHERE THE ORANGE BLOOMS
FICTION
A-18
A PIECE OF THIS COUNTRY
BORN OF WAR
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In June 1994, on the fiftieth anniversary of D Day, President Clinton looked out on the
American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy and spoke these dedicatory words:
THESE ARE THE MEN WHO GAVE US OUR WORLD.
THE SIMPLE SOUNDS OF FREEDOM WE HEAR TODAY
ARE THEIR VOICES SPEAKING TO US
ACROSS THE YEARS.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FOR CHAPTERS DESCRIBING COMBAT G? WHICH JOE WAS NOT involved, I'm
indebted to Ed Albers and Mark Bando, the latter author of The 101st Airborne from Holland
to Hitler's Eagle s Nest (Motorbooks International), from which the stories about Charles
Eckman and Ross Goethe were derived. For maps I've relied on Rendezvous with Destiny, an
eight-hundred-page hardback published by the 101st Airborne Division Association.
Phil Wallace published his pre-D Night letter to his wife through the association's quarterly,
The Screaming Eagle, from which Dutchman Robert Postman's remembrance of September 17
was also taken. The most senior 101st officers of World War II, still living, are Harry Kinnard
and Julian Ewell, both retired lieutenant generals, lieutenant colonels at Bastogne. They
graciously provided me elucidating insights about the realities during that epic siege.
Then of course there was my father, whom I plied for 101st lore when I became a
Screaming Eagle veteran after Vietnam. He died in 1987. For the many honors and titles he
received, including command of all United Nations forces in Korea and the chairmanship of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the only emblem he directed to be engraved on his headstone was the
Screaming Eagle.
Good fortune for me was doubled when Owen Laster of the William Morris Agency
offered this manuscript to Bob Loomis of Random House. Their combined appreciation of
Joe's singular place in the American experience of World War II was invaluable.
Any author's spouse must be gratefully acknowledged for patience, support, and
understanding. No less so for me, as I grappled to put in words what was sometimes too much
for words. So, as is her due, I give the last word to Pam. Joe, in turn, is indebted to his wife,
JoAnne, and I am too for her unique ability to decipher and transcribe Joe's handwriting.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MAPS
FOREWORD
A NOTE ON MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS
1. THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
2. JUMPIN'JOE
3. ON BOTH SIDES OF THE WALL
4. DNIGHTEVE
5. HIDE-AND-SEEK
6. INTHEORCHARD
7. HIGHWAY 13
8. GOOD COPS, BAD COPS
9. MUSKEGON
10. ANGELS DON'T SPEAK GERMAN
11. THESTALAGS
12. IV-B
13. MARKET-GARDEN
14. ADOGANDAMOLE
15. BERLIN
16. BASTOGNE
17. GESTAPO VERSUS WEHRMACHT
18. AMERICANSKITOVARISH!
19. BACKTOIII-C
20. EVERYONE IN HELL IS GRINNING
21. TO MOSCOW
EPILOGUE