Dark5 | 5 Strangest Photos from World War 2 @dark5tv | Uploaded 3 years ago | Updated 1 day ago
Wojtek, the Soldier Bear, was a 600-pound Syrian brown bear adopted by the Polish Army during World War II to take the fight against the Axis. Wojtek served as an unofficial mascot for the Polish Army and was incorporated into the 22nd’s official emblem. To provide food and transportation, Wojtek was eventually enlisted as a private, serving in the war and even earning a promotion...
The story of Wojtek begins in April of 1942 when he was discovered in the Iranian mountains by Polish prisoners of war captured during the Soviet occupation of Eastern Poland. The men were on their way from a gulag in Siberia to Alexandra, Egypt, to join the British forces for training.
During their trek through the Middle East, the Polish encountered a boy with a cub who had lost his mother at the hands of hunters. Lieutenant Anatol Tarnowiecki then decided to buy the bear and take it to Egypt. For three months, the cub was nursed with condensed milk drank from a vodka bottle.
The bear was eventually named Wojtek, or Happy Warrior, and instantly became an attraction. Wojtek became the unofficial Army’s mascot and was even drawn into the 22nd’s official emblem.
As Wojtek grew bigger and stronger, he was trained to wrestle and salute before moving on to other duties such as carrying ammunition or transporting goods in the frontline. Photos of the era show him performing his assignments.
Wojtek also grew fond of beer while working under the boiling sun of the Middle East. He also had a particular taste for lit cigarettes, often taking a puff before swallowing them entirely.
The bear often broke into the food huts to satisfy his thirst and hunger. When the men trained with oranges passing as grenades, Wojtek would break into the training grounds and eat them all.
In 1944, Wojtek was fully enlisted as a Private in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company in order to board a British transport to Italy.
Private Wojtek was plunged directly into the Battle of Monte Cassino against the German paratroopers, where he carried mortar shells and ammunition. It is said the 6-foot, 485-pound bear didn’t drop a single ammunition crate and was rewarded with his favorite cigarettes and beer for his resilience. Moreover, his service in the fronts earned him a promotion to the rank of corporal.
Wojtek gained legendary status as he continued to serve through the end of World War II, but Polish veterans were afraid that the Communist Regime in Poland would use the bear as a symbol and opted to send him to Scotland instead. He retired at the Edinburgh Zoo in 1945.
Wojtek died in 1963 due to esophagus damage, and a statue commemorating him can still be appreciated in Edinburgh.
Wojtek, the Soldier Bear, was a 600-pound Syrian brown bear adopted by the Polish Army during World War II to take the fight against the Axis. Wojtek served as an unofficial mascot for the Polish Army and was incorporated into the 22nd’s official emblem. To provide food and transportation, Wojtek was eventually enlisted as a private, serving in the war and even earning a promotion...
The story of Wojtek begins in April of 1942 when he was discovered in the Iranian mountains by Polish prisoners of war captured during the Soviet occupation of Eastern Poland. The men were on their way from a gulag in Siberia to Alexandra, Egypt, to join the British forces for training.
During their trek through the Middle East, the Polish encountered a boy with a cub who had lost his mother at the hands of hunters. Lieutenant Anatol Tarnowiecki then decided to buy the bear and take it to Egypt. For three months, the cub was nursed with condensed milk drank from a vodka bottle.
The bear was eventually named Wojtek, or Happy Warrior, and instantly became an attraction. Wojtek became the unofficial Army’s mascot and was even drawn into the 22nd’s official emblem.
As Wojtek grew bigger and stronger, he was trained to wrestle and salute before moving on to other duties such as carrying ammunition or transporting goods in the frontline. Photos of the era show him performing his assignments.
Wojtek also grew fond of beer while working under the boiling sun of the Middle East. He also had a particular taste for lit cigarettes, often taking a puff before swallowing them entirely.
The bear often broke into the food huts to satisfy his thirst and hunger. When the men trained with oranges passing as grenades, Wojtek would break into the training grounds and eat them all.
In 1944, Wojtek was fully enlisted as a Private in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company in order to board a British transport to Italy.
Private Wojtek was plunged directly into the Battle of Monte Cassino against the German paratroopers, where he carried mortar shells and ammunition. It is said the 6-foot, 485-pound bear didn’t drop a single ammunition crate and was rewarded with his favorite cigarettes and beer for his resilience. Moreover, his service in the fronts earned him a promotion to the rank of corporal.
Wojtek gained legendary status as he continued to serve through the end of World War II, but Polish veterans were afraid that the Communist Regime in Poland would use the bear as a symbol and opted to send him to Scotland instead. He retired at the Edinburgh Zoo in 1945.
Wojtek died in 1963 due to esophagus damage, and a statue commemorating him can still be appreciated in Edinburgh.
