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Wojtek, the bear who was enlisted as a soldier in World War II

Hard to believe

Wojtek, the bear who was enlisted as a soldier in World War II

11 min

Adopted by Polish troops, a brown bear was formally enlisted with a rank and serial number and hauled crates of artillery shells at the Battle of Monte Cassino — later becoming his unit's emblem.

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Show notes

Polish soldiers traded a Swiss army knife and food for an orphaned bear cub in Iran.

Soldiers bypassed British transport rules by formally enlisting the bear as a Private with a service number.

Wojtek carried hundred-pound ammunition crates at Monte Cassino that typically required four men to move.

The twenty-second artillery supply company redesigned their official emblem to feature the bear hauling a shell.

Wojtek retired to the Edinburgh Zoo where he still responded to the Polish language from former comrades.

The five-hundred-pound Syrian brown bear was promoted to the rank of Corporal for his wartime service.

In this episode

  1. 1Intro1 min
  2. 2The Cub from the Mountains2 min
  3. 3Becoming a Soldier2 min
  4. 4The Fire of Monte Cassino3 min
  5. 5Post-War Life and Legacy3 min
  6. 6Outro1 min

Sources

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Wojtek, the bear who was enlisted as a soldier in World War II — Fylom