When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin freed his Polish prisoners hoping some would join the Red Army. If not, they were free to leave through Iran. One group took this option and along the way met a little boy with a baby bear in a burlap sack. They traded for the bear and named him Wotjek (pronounced “voy-check”) which means “smiling warrior”. His main caretaker was 46 year old Peter Prendys. Peter and his mates joined the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps of the British army in North Africa. Wotjek eventually reached six feet tall and over 500 hundred pounds. He loved to copy the actions of the men. He learned to march and salute. He wrestled with the men. He played soccer and would chase the oranges the soldiers used for grenade practice. He was trained to lift up new recruits upside down by the boots while the veterans would pretend that he was going to eat the newbie. He rode in the passenger seat of the truck. If scolded, he would put his paws in front of his face and whimper. He loved beer and cigarettes, which he would swallow lit. When the unit went to Italy, he went, too. For the first time, he was near the front lines, but instead of being afraid of the artillery fire, he would climb trees to see the battles. It was in Italy that he helped unload artillery shells from a truck during the Monte Cassino campaign. (Although he might have been carrying empty boxes of shells.) The company changed its insignia to a bear carrying an artillery shell. When the war ended, Prendys relocated to Great Britain and Wotjek lived out his life in a zoo where he was a popular attraction. He went to birthday parties and appeared several times on a local children’s tv show. He passed away in 1963.
– Uncle John’s Fully Loaded 571-577
https://time.com/4731787/wojtek-the-bear-history
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/bear-helps-world-war-ii-soldiers/2021/08/30/fd22b7a4-ee70-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html
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