Joe Beyrle: Behind Hitler's Lines

World War II was a catastrophic tragedy. What we can cultivate from the war, however, is that the war was fought for peace, for the future, for the people. The casualties and pains of the soldiers were not without a cause. That is the case with Joe Beyrle, an ordinary soldier who found himself on many sides of the war in Thomas Taylor’s Behind Hitler’s Lines. Beyrle’s life can be seen as a microcosm of the entire war, where families, friends, and comrades in the battlefield were all split apart. Beyrle left behind his potential career at Notre Dame University in order to serve his country, and ended up becoming one of the most valuable parts of World War II history because of his grit, demeanor, and fortitude in the United States 101st division, …show more content…
With that being said, he was offered a scholarship to Notre Dame University in track and field, that is, until his life suddenly changed. In his first rite of passage, “Joe wrote something on a scratch pad as he left the room, his shoulder bent by an army duffel bag, something left undisturbed till he returned: ‘Will I ever go to N.D.? How long will the war last? This room will look different when I see it again…different like a fairyland” (13). Joe had been registered to the United States …show more content…
Thus, he was evacuated by the Soviets to a hospital in Landsberg. After some careful reconsideration and awful suspicions of the Red Army doctors, Joe decided to escape by nightfall in search of Western troops. As a solitary and wounded soldier, he went to Warsaw, only to be saved by appreciative Polish nuns. After recovering, Joe continued to Moscow but was detained by the Americans standing post there, who doubted that he was a Nazi imposter. Finally, after a lot of questioning and confirmations by an old friend, he was evacuated with the Yankees in March