How A Bear Became A WW II Hero

One battalion of the Polish II Corps happened upon an unexpected and important friend while traveling a long distance to join forces with the British Army in World War Two: a Syrian brown bear they named Wojtek.

Most of the traumas from World War II occurred in Poland. Poland had only had a few decades of independence following the Nazi invasion on September 1, 1939, when it was once again under possession on September 17, thanks to the Soviet invasion that followed.

Stalin and Hitler signed a non-aggression pact after the invasions, effectively dividing Poland in half. On June 22, 1941, Hitler violated this agreement by directing an invasion of the USSR.

Stalin proclaimed all prior agreements between the USSR and Poland to be void in what became known as the Sikorski-Mayski Accord. In spite of officially being on Soviet territory, this permitted Poles to establish their own army, among other things.

That's what they did, and Lieutenant General W. Adysaw Anders' Polish Second Corps took control of the army.

Together with the hundreds of Polish people who had been freed from Soviet gulags, the newly constituted army left the USSR for Iran in the spring of 1942. The journeying Poles met an Iranian lad in Hamadan, on their way to Tehran, who had found an abandoned bear cub.

One of the civilians, Irena Bokiewicz, was so taken with the cub that one of the lieutenants bought him for her in return for a few food can.

The cub joined the 22nd Artillery Supply Company and quickly acquired its own Polish moniker, Wojtek, which means "joyous soldier" (pronounced voy-tek). Wojtek accompanied the company on its journey across the Middle East as it headed to Palestine to ally with the 3rd Carpathian Division of the British Army.

Wojtek Gets A Rank

Wojtek had several peculiar habits as a result of growing up around soldiers. In fact, according to stories, the bear would socialize with his army mates by drinking beer and wine, smoking (and eating) cigarettes, and drinking milk from an old vodka bottle.

Wojtek rapidly emerged as a ray of hope throughout the conflict. He frequently engaged in grappling matches with his fellow fighters and even picked up the custom of bowing to his company guys.

In 1943, as the unit prepared to board a ship and join the Allied war against Italy in Naples, Wojtek's future with the company was in doubt. Because the bear was not a recognized member of the army, Alexandria port officials in Egypt refused to allow him board.

Soldiers quickly, albeit bizarrely, devised a solution by converting Wojtek to a private in the Polish II Corps and giving him a rank, military number, and pay book to prove his identity. It was successful, and Wojtek boarded the ship headed for Italy with his friends as a legitimate soldier this time.

Wojtek had greatly grown from a cub to a 6 ft tall, 485 lb. adult Syrian brown bear by the time the group reached Italy. The organization taught Wojtek how to carry crates of mortar rounds, taking advantage of his size and strength, which he reportedly did without fail during the horrific fight of Monte Cassino.

Wojtek not only survived the battle, but he also quickly rose to fame. In fact, as a result of Wojtek's heroic actions, the Polish high command recognized Wojtek as the 22nd Artillery Supply Company's official crest.

Wojtek withdrew from the army in 1945 and embarked on a trip to Scotland with his fellow servicemen. Wojtek retired to the Edinburgh Zoo, as opposed to his fellow veterans.

On December 2, 1963, 21-year-old Wojtek passed away at the zoo, but he would never forget his time spent in the army.