The story of Wojtek, who became a soldier, sounds unbelievable. Yet it did happen! In addition, the most famous teddy bear in the army of General Anders went down in the pages of history not only because of the species unusual for a warrior. A brave bear put his paw to the blood-borne victory at Monte Cassino ...
The hot May 1944 on the slopes of Monte Cassino seemed to be endless. For four months, subsequent Allied armies tried to force through the German defense of the monastery, which towered over the area like a gloomy crown. When at last this trick was successful, with the general participation of the soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps of General Anders, the Germans going into captivity did not even think that someone else had put their ... paw on it.
One of the perpetrators of their defeat was an ordinary Syrian brown bear. His completely unexpected war adventure began in Iran in April 1942. The Polish troops marching from the USSR to Palestine encountered a young Iranian on their way, accompanied by ... a bear in a sack.
Wojtek's Monument at ul. Wojtek's Bear in Szczecin
One of the versions says that the Poles, seeing an emaciated child, gave them several food rations, and the boy, overwhelmed with the gift, left his traveling bundle with a purring surprise on the way . According to the second - rather closer truth - the Iranian simply traded his brown companion for tinned beef, a few biscuits, a bar of chocolate, a few change and a Swiss knife.
Recruit Wojciech
The animal stole the hearts of the new owners right away. For the first three months, he was looked after by a teenage fugitive named Irena Bokiewicz, who, after her stay in Siberia, was among the thousands of civilians evacuated from the USSR together with General Anders' army. Wojtek the bear could not eat on his own, so he was fed with condensed milk from a vodka bottle with a rag nipple. Apparently, since then he had a great sentiment for all drinks served in vials of booze ...
The new recruit was entitled to a uniform, helmet, canteen, raincoat and rubber boots.
Unfortunately, the unruly baby caused a lot of trouble and Irena was forced to give her pet back. The lucky one who took the animal under his wing was the chief of staff of the 2nd Polish Corps, Gen. Boruta-Spiechowicz, who transported the bear to the 2nd Transport Company (renamed in 1943 the 22nd Artillery Supply Company). There, too, an idea emerged to give the furry companion to General Anders himself. However, when the bear had eaten a meal prepared for the officers, it was ordered:it goes to boots! In this way, the unit was enlarged by one soldier - Wojciech's (private) gunner - because that was the name given to him by Polish soldiers.
The new recruit was entitled to a uniform, helmet, canteen, raincoat and galoshes. Soon his menu was expanded to include military rations. Wojtek loved fruit, sweet syrups, marmalade and - as befits a bear - honey and… beer. He particularly liked the golden drink served in cans, which he could puncture with his claw.
After drinking more alcohol, Wojciech became exceptionally cheerful and prone to antics. It happened that "under the influence" he wandered around the nearby camps, arousing panic among the Allies, especially the so-called Pestek, ie members of the Women's Auxiliary Service in the 2nd Corps.
Some said it was a real miracle that the bear was not shot during these trips. Most of the soldiers, however, knew very well that there were no bears in the area - and if one appeared, it must have been the mascot of one of the units. Therefore, they turned a blind eye to emptying pantries and demolishing warehouses. However, being among the soldier brothers also brought other bad habits, such as the abuse of cigarettes. The only difference is that Wojciech ate them. Most of the time, they are lit.
Furry Spy Hunter
Time passed for this extraordinary soldier not only on pranks. Here one day the company received an order to deliver medicines and food to a children's hospital near Beirut. A task like any other. But this time it turned out to be unique, because along with the load, a private bear also appeared in the facility.
Finally, a smile appeared on the emaciated and sad faces of the ailing kids, when Corporal Wojtek showed off various tricks in front of them - including hanging from the ceiling. If only the protagonist of this story would understand what honor he was during the visit, when he was welcomed by ... Hanka Ordonówna herself on the threshold of the hospital.
Badge of the 22nd Artillery Support Company of the 2nd Polish Corps.
The fur mascot quickly grew on the military board, especially pampered by its guardian, the cpl. Piotr Prendysz - with whom she shared a tent and often a bed. So soon the teddy bear turned into a real bear. On top of that, he loved wrestling with his friends. However, it has never happened that this player, who is over 180 cm and weighing 250 kg, hurt his opponent.
As befits a soldier of a transport unit, Wojtek the bear was a brother with military vehicles. His favorite means of transport was a company crane. He loved riding the trolley with his paws on the cab. Of course, he also pushed inside, but for safety reasons (especially for the driver), he was deprived of this pleasure.
His ubiquity was not always a nuisance. At one point, it contributed to the capture of a spy who had sneaked into the camp. Wojtek got to the bathing barrack during the night exploring, where he found an Arab surprised and paralyzed with fear . As a reward, the random hero was given a shower cubicle and his favorite beer.
On the trail of war and on the beach
The life in the camp was undoubtedly charming, but the war has its own rules and soon the company went to the front. At the beginning of 1944, the Allied offensive in Italy got stuck in the so-called The Gustav Line. In the three pending battles for Monte Cassino - a key hill in the German fortification system - the advancing Allied forces suffered bloody losses. In the fourth battle, the soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps undertook the task of breaking the defense.
It was the baptism of battle of Wojtkowo's company, which supplied artillery positions with ammunition, fuel and food. At first, the furry gunner never left the quarters out of fear. Over time, however, he got used to the roar of the cannons and more and more boldly climbed the tree to watch the effects of the Allied fire. At the same time, he watched the work of his colleagues from the ward, and finally began to help them.
The story of how Wojtek loaded heavy 45-kilogram boxes with ammunition onto the pack is still alive today and, importantly, he never dropped any. Apparently, he also carried the missiles themselves, but this caused quite a row at the commanding level and it was abandoned. Perhaps an unusual sight made one of the soldiers decide to capture the whole situation on paper. The sketch soon became the symbol of the 22nd Company and a bear with a bullet in its paws appeared on truck doors, pennants and uniform sleeves.
The conquest of Monte Cassino was only the beginning of Wojtek's war epic. Later he was with his department, incl. during the conquest of Ancona and during the fights for Bologna. There the combat trail of the 2nd Corps ended, and the gunner Wojciech, having attained the rank of corporal, could finally enjoy freedom. And he did it in a typical way - for example by scaring the sunbathing Italian women he met on an Adriatic beach.
Teddy bear in plain clothes
After World War II, the brave bear and the soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company were transported to Glasgow, Scotland. In Winfield Park, where the Poles were stationed, the brown corporal became the favorite of the local population. The Polish-Scottish Society even appointed him a member, and the local children were overjoyed when they could stroke an unusual soldier for a jar of marmalade.
Carefree days among themselves ended for Wojtek on November 15, 1947, when after the demobilization of the branch, he ended up in the Edinburgh zoo. The soldiers themselves probably experienced the breakup the worst, because many of them cried when Wojtek got on the truck for the last time. The main subject seemed rather pleased - after all, it looked like his favorite road trip.
After the demobilization of his unit, Wojtek ended up in the Edinburgh Zoo.
Later, his enthusiasm probably subsided when it turned out that he would spend the rest of his life in a cage. Attempts were made to socialize him with other bears, but Wojtek was used to the company of people and never found himself among the representatives of his own species. And although his former colleagues from the company would visit him and, when crossing the fence, provisions were brought in with him (to the dismay of the zoo employees), the bear was languishing in his eyes. Along the way, there was also a proposal to bring a bear to Poland, but his terrible health and resistance from combatants meant that he lived to see his days abroad.
Years later, one of the soldiers who died on December 2, 1963, was recalled by one of the soldiers:"You see, although he was only a Syrian bear from the Persian mountains, deep down he was a Pole . He was our hope and friend in these war times. ”