Interesting and Humour - page 784

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Newborn Wojtek was found in 1942 by an Iranian boy near, most likely, Hamadan. The boy had hidden the little bear cub in his rucksack. On a mountain road between Hamadan and Kangavar, the boy met a truckload of Polish soldiers arriving in Iran from the USSR; they stopped and offered him something to eat. While the boy was eating, the bear cub poked its head out of its backpack, which was noticed by the surprised Polish soldiers. They offered to buy back the bear cub in exchange for a few tins of canned food, chocolate, a pocket knife and some money. The boy agreed and handed over the bear cub.


The bear cub was very small and could not even chew or swallow food properly, so the soldiers fed him condensed cow's milk mixed with water from a makeshift teat made from a vodka bottle. The bear cub was given the Polish name of Wojtek. To keep him warm he slept on the chest of one of the soldiers, Piotr, with whom he later developed a close friendship.

After a while, the bear became the unofficial mascot of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company and was even officially enlisted in it. Soon the Second Corps was moved from Iran to Palestine, then to North Africa and later to Italy, and Wojtek travelled with the Polish soldiers all the way there.

Over the following months Wojtek grew considerably and enjoyed the 'human' pleasures - the soldiers gave him fruit, marmalade, honey and syrup, and for special good behaviour he was given Wojtek's favourite beer (which, according to Polish soldier Augustyn Korołowski, he learned to drink almost like a human). According to some reports, the bear was even taught to smoke (although it is likely that he only chewed lighted cigarettes). The soldiers, unknowingly, were unique trainers: under their guidance, the bear learned to salute their elders and fight humans (sometimes three or four at a time), without causing them any harm, and knowing exactly when to stop (but always coming out the winner of these half-joking fights). The bear soon gained a wide popularity among the military and civilians from all the units around and became a kind of unofficial mascot. Together with Polish soldiers, Wojtek went from Iran to Iraq, and later to Syria, Palestine and Egypt. The soldiers did not perceive Wojtek as a "pet" but primarily as a battle buddy. Despite his height and increasing strength, Wojtek was exceptionally peaceful and obedient.

In order to secure a place on a British transport ship, which was leaving Egypt with the soldiers of the British 8th Army to take part in the Italian campaign, Wojtek was officially recruited into the Polish army and enlisted in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the II Corps. His guardians were appointed Henrik Zacharewicz and Dimitrij Szwalugo. After disembarkation in Italy he was always kept in a separate hut made of a wooden box on a truck, but Wojtek did not like solitude and almost always slept in the tent with another soldier.

"His baptism of fire was at the battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. Polish troops entered the battle in mid-May to replace the 78th British Division, which had suffered heavy losses. Located on the mountainside, they were cut off from the main group of troops and desperately needed supplies of ammunition.
Wojtek helped the soldiers unload boxes of shells from the trucks, without dropping a single box while unloading. Allegedly the initiative to help came from him: the Polish soldiers said that one day he came to the truck, stood on his hind legs, and stretched out his front legs. The officer handed Wojtek a crate, and he picked it up and carried it, after which he started to walk over to the truck and take more crates.

Over many days, in rather harsh terrain and mountainous terrain not ideal for moving around, Wojtek carried the boxes of shells and food to the soldiers fighting on the mountain, despite the incessant gunfire and the clatter of heavy artillery around; hundreds of people witnessed this extraordinary work, many of whom could not believe it was real until they saw it for themselves. As a show of appreciation the 22nd company (which later became the 22nd Transportation Company) chose the silhouette of a bear carrying a shell in its paws (the design was originally drawn by one of the soldiers) as its new emblem, and it still bears this symbol to this day - it is displayed on all company vehicles.

There are several plaques in Wojtek's honour - in Edinburgh Zoo, the Imperial War Museum and the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. A sculpture of a soldier bear by David Harding is at the Sikorsky Museum in London, a carved wooden sculpture at Wilsby Woods, Greensby, and a monument to him in Edinburgh is currently planned.
In February 2008 Harry Paulin wrote a book about Wojtek, which was called 'Wojtek the Bear Soldier'.
On 30 December 2011 the film "Woytek the Bear Who Went to War" was broadcast on BBC2 in Scotland.
When Prince Charles and his sons visited the Imperial War Museum, he stopped the guide who began to tell the story of Wojtek, saying that they knew it well.
An interesting and little-known fact is that in 1958 a real campaign for the "return" of Wojtek was briefly launched in Poland (although the bear never visited Poland). The Edinburgh Zoo however claimed that it was only prepared to hand him over to the Polish authorities with the agreement of his former custodians, the soldiers of Anders's Army, who as staunch opponents of the socialist regime in Poland, categorically refused.

(c) Wikipedia

 
 
 
 

Uncle Fyodor, the dog and the cat, or Eduard Uspensky's fabulous army

"...To celebrate Uspensky's 75th birthday, RIA Novosti invites you to reacquaint yourself with the good and bad, funny and serious characters of your favourite works...."

 

+21 , not the norm

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