Soldiers Rescued an Orphaned Bear Cub — He Became a World War II Legend

In 1942, the Anders Army, a Polish military unit, were deployed to the Middle East to join the Allies during World War II. At their first stop, Iran, they made a decision that would create one of the greatest legends of World War II. This fiction-like real story depicts how an orphan bear cub went on to help turn the tides for Allies forces in World War II, and how a little cub was molded to serve as a corporal in the war. The Polish soldiers marching on their way to Iran's capital, Tehran, met a young boy carrying a very unusual item in his bag – a Syrian brown bear cub. According to him, he'd found the orphaned cub after its mother was killed by hunters. Irina Bokiewicz, a beautiful Polish woman who was traveling with the soldiers, instantly fell in love with the bear cub. This made Lieutenant Anatole Tarnowiecki buy the bear cub for her on the spot. During World War II, nothing was stationary and military units were just relocated frequently according to the war demands. The unit was ordered to switch from Iran to Iraq. The Polish soldiers didn't let the orphaned bear cub go, and took him along with them to Iraq. The cub showed great trust in the unit. At first, the soldiers used to offer the cub condensed milk out of an old vodka bottle. As he grew bigger, they started catching food from their rations and fed him with fruits, marmalade, honey, and syrup. The unit soon realized that the cub's nutritional requirement was increasing really fast, and allocated him a full soldier's ration. But as he got bigger and bigger, they quickly switched to allow him two full rations. The cub was named Wojtek, an old Slavic name that means he who enjoys war. In some official documents, Wojtek was also called Wojtek Perski. In Polish language, Perski means Persian, so the bear was named as the Persian who enjoys war. The cub grew bigger and bigger but remained very tame and jellied in with the soldiers really well. He trained together, slept together, and ate together. News about Wojtek started spreading like wildfire, and he soon became the unofficial mascot of all the troops stationed in the area. One of Wojtek's favorite things was drinking beer with his pals. The soldiers even trained Wojtek to salute by rewarding him with beer. The soldiers claimed that they even taught him to smoke cigarettes, but Wojtek used to often eat them instead of lighting up. The other favorite thing of Wojtek was to wrestle with his soldiers. There are a surprising number of photographs in which Wojtek was wrestling with his soldier pals. The Polish soldiers proudly claimed that Wojtek never hurt them Wrestling and beer couldn't have gotten any better for Wojtek. This guy certainly doesn't look worried even though the massive bear is just around his chest. Wojtek traveled from Iran to Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt with a unit. Unhappy days don't last forever, and the crew was ordered to depart to Italy to support an invasion effort for the Americans in the British Eighth Army. The Polish soldiers were afraid they'd have to leave Wojtek behind, and it was time to part ways with their unique best friend. The soldiers worked fast to get Wojtek officially included into the Polish army. He was drafted in with a rank of Private. Here's a pic of Private Wojtek boarding the ship that would take the Polish troops to Italy. As an enlisted soldier, Wojtek was given his own paybook, his own rank and serial number. Wojtek lived with other soldiers in the tents, ate with them in the mess, and drank together at night. Now it was time for Wojtek to repay the love showered by the Polish army on him and contribute in the battlefield. Wojtek got the chance to prove his utility as a soldier in the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944. The troop used his immense strength to carry the heavy boxes of artillery shells in rough terrain. The boxes weighed over 100 pounds each, and it helped the soldiers by taking the assistance of a 450-pound bear. The Allies won the Battle of Monte Cassino. The contribution of the Polish army was so pivotal in the battle that the Polish flag was the first to be raised, so Wojtek's contribution didn't go in vain. Wojtek's contribution in the battle made him a celebrity among the Allies. When the Allied generals and statesmen came for a visit, they were so impressed by him that they approved the creation of a new emblem for the 22nd Company. Dedicated to Wojtek, it was a bear carrying an artillery shell. Once the battle was won and the war calmed down, the 22nd Company was departed to Berkwickshire in Scotland. Wojtek went with his fellow soldiers to live in a barrack. Wojtek was promoted to the status of corporal by the end of the war. A large portion of his company decided not to return to his Soviet-controlled Poland, and Wojtek then stayed with his fellow soldiers in Scotland. The fact that a bear served in an important battle victory made headlines in Scotland, and Wojtek soon became popular among local civilians and the press. The Polish-Scottish Association gave Wojtek the accreditation of one of its honorary members, but Scottish Federation rules were different, and it didn't allow a bear to live freely in civil areas. The troop asked a local Edinburgh zoo if they could accommodate their beloved pal to get freedom. During Wojtek's time at the Edinburgh Zoo, the troops would visit him frequently, talk with him, and toss cigarettes towards him. The zookeepers claimed that whenever Wojtek heard anyone speaking in Polish, he cheered up. The day of free Poland never came, and now we know that Poland was under Soviet rule for another 40 years. For the rest of his life, Wojtek remained at the Edinburgh Zoo, and in 1963, at the age of 21, the bear passed away. Wojtek became a symbol of the free Polish struggle and an emblem of their heroic service. Many public memorials in commemoration to Wojtek have been created. The list includes a plaque at London's Imperial War Museum, a sculpture at the Sikorski Museum in London, and the carved wooden sculpture here, which sits in Wheelsby Woods Grimsby. You've reached the end of a story that's nothing less than a fairy tale. You witnessed how an orphan bear cub went on to serve the Allied forces in World War II. Wojtek surely left a mark.