The bear who was a private in the Polish army | Wojtek the Bear
Автор: Lyra's Letters
Загружено: 2025-03-15
Просмотров: 80779
Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II, initially as a mascot but later officially enlisted as a soldier. Found as a cub in Iran in 1942, he was taken in by the 22nd Artillery Supply Company, which fed him and raised him like one of their own. Wojtek quickly adapted to military life, learning to salute, march, and even wrestle with his human companions. He developed a taste for beer and cigarettes and enjoyed riding in trucks and taking long showers. His presence boosted troop morale, and he even helped capture a spy who had infiltrated the Polish camp. When the company was deployed to Italy in 1944, Wojtek was officially enlisted as a private to circumvent army pet regulations. He famously aided in the Battle of Monte Cassino by carrying artillery shells, an act that inspired the company to adopt a new insignia featuring a bear carrying a shell.
After the war, Wojtek and his unit were sent to Scotland, where he continued to be a beloved figure, participating in farm work and enjoying his daily beer rations. As the soldiers demobilized, concerns arose about his future, as he had been raised by humans and was not suited for the wild. Rather than sending him back to communist-controlled Poland, his comrades arranged for him to live at the Edinburgh Zoo in 1947. There, he remained a popular attraction, often visited by his former comrades, who brought him treats and even wrestled with him. Wojtek passed away in 1963 but was immortalized through documentaries, an animated film, and statues in Edinburgh, Kraków, and Duns, commemorating his remarkable story as a bear who became a soldier.
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