Story here.

A bear, famed for his love of beer, cigarettes and boxing and who was by the side of Allied troops in World War Two, has been made the subject of a play.

Wojtek was adopted by the 2nd Polish Corps in 1943, after his mother was shot by hunters.

The Syrian brown bear travelled with them from the Middle East as they were deployed to Italy. Allied soldiers described their shock at seeing Wojtek carrying artillery shells during the Battle of Monte Cassino...



Sue Butler's father was one of the soldiers in the war alongside Wojtek.

"Dad said he was a symbol that united the soldiers. He was much more than a bear, he thought he was one of them," she said....

The bear was especially partial to dates, which her father would carry in his top pocket as a treat, Mrs Butler said.
"If dad pretended to walk past Wojtek he knew that he'd got something and would make a beeline for him," she said.

"He told me other soldiers wrestled with the bear, and although he is sometimes seen drinking bottles of beer, my dad said the beer was sometimes too precious and often it was just water."
He would also ask for cigarettes, which he would eat...



Mrs Butler said the soldiers were very protective of their colleague, who served as a great morale booster...

The animal was "very funny and quite mischievous," she added, but ultimately "thought he was one of them".

When the Polish forces were deployed to Europe, the only way to take the bear with them was to "enlist" him.

So he was given a name, rank and number and took part in the Italian campaign.

In one interview, a British veteran told how taken aback he was to see the 1.82m (6ft) bear carrying shells during the Battle of Monte Cassino.

The company emblem became a picture of Wojtek carrying a shell.

Mrs Butler said her father had told her, "I'm sure he kept us going" during that battle.

"He absolutely showed that he was scared by the explosions but he got used to it and was carting artillery around the place in big boxes," she said...


A statue of Wojtek stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh in memory of the bear and his fellow soldiers

Mrs Butler said she had only recently heard of the production through her daughter-in-law who works at the theatre.

"I think Julia mentioned it to my son, Tom, and he said, 'I'm absolutely positive my grandad met that bear,' but I don't think she believed him at first."..

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Wow, thats a new one on me.

Bear has quite a resemblance to Sergeant Snorkel in the Beetle Baily comic strip.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

The Poles did better than most at Monte Casino. Sure the bear helped as read about it few years ago.

What a fantastic story!

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No baby we aint

If our fellows from the " Sgt. Mike Viet Nam Humor" thread had been involved ...

Betting the bear would have been assigned rations and subsistence pay.

Also betting the bear was very good for public relations with the local population.

Bekeart

America's famous animal soldiers outrank Wojtek.
There's Marine Sargeant Siwash. A duck that that fought with the Marines in the Pacific theater of WWII. Cited for bravery by her command.
The there's Sgt. Reckless, a horse and another Marine. Fought with them at the Battle of Outpost Vegas in Korea. Hailed as the Hero of said battle, she hauled ammo uphill and wounded soldiers down, saving many lives and helping the Marines to repel a vastly more numerous enemy. Awarded 2 Purple Hearts for wounds received in the battle.
There's a Youtuber called The Fat Electrician who does great videos on all three of these Fightin' Fauna. No link as his language is not forum safe. He is an excellent and funny storyteller. If the occasional swear word doesn't bother you, I highly reccomend his channel. He also has videos on batbombs and pigeon guided munitions. Check it out.


Edit: Almost forgot. One thing that may be a coincidence or just relates to the limited entertainment opportunities afforded soldiers in war, all three were said to drink beer fondly. Sgt. Siwash in particular was used by Marines to meet women in bars. Talk about a wingman!

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The best I can with what I got

Speaking of Monte Cassino - and given that Veterans' Day (Remembrance Day up here) is coming up, I remember a story told to me several years ago by a monk at the Benedictine monastery near me.

When they were building the monastery in the early 50's, a couple of the brothers were chatting as they worked. One was American and one German. The subject of the war came up and not only had both been soldiers on their respective sides, both had fought at Monte Cassino.

After a moment's silence, one said, "How appropriate then, that we are both working together to build this monastery."

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)