![WOJTEK THE 'SOLDIER BEAR'](https://cdn.magzter.com/1492426211/1652329879/articles/Y1f-YmSsO1653654847972/WOJTEK-THE-SOLDIER-BEAR.jpg)
THE REAL HISTORY OF POLAND'S WWII MASCOT
Animals have been trained and used for different functions in warfare for millennia – dogs, horses, dolphins, sea lions, monkeys, pigeons, elephants and many others have played roles in various militaries over the years. As well as those used directly in warfare or for transport, there are also military mascots kept as a symbol of a particular unit or for ceremonial purposes.
This is the story of Wojtek (pronounced VOYtek), a Syrian brown bear who was adopted in Iran in 1942 by Polish soldiers who had been evacuated from the Soviet Union. He served with the Polish II Corps for five years, and saw action during the Italian Campaign in World War II, most notably during the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.
Wojtek’s remarkable story begins from the moment when the hungry and orphaned bear cub came into the possession of Polish soldiers in Iran. But how did those soldiers end up in the Middle East in the first place?
Over 230,000 Polish prisoners of war were taken into captivity following the Soviet Union’s surprise invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939. They were put into categories by the Soviet authorities, and those they feared the most were killed on the spot. Officers were held in special NKVD camps and were eventually killed in what was to become known as the Katyn massacre, where nearly 22,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia were executed. Some privates were released after a relatively short time, with many then being sent to labour camps deep within the Soviet Union, where they joined the nearly one-and-a-half-million other deported Polish civilians who were seen as a threat to the Soviet State.
この記事は History of War の Issue 107, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は History of War の Issue 107, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
![THE OTHER OPERATION OVERLORD D-DAY'S GHOST ARMY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/NFwWoYeZC1715260206929/THE-OTHER-OPERATION-OVERLORD-DDAYS-GHOST-ARMY.jpg)
THE OTHER OPERATION OVERLORD D-DAY'S GHOST ARMY
Historian Taylor Downing discusses the cunning use of intrigue and deception during Operation Fortitude
![D-DAY LANDING CRAFT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/za60WTOCE1715259679820/DDAY-LANDING-CRAFT.jpg)
D-DAY LANDING CRAFT
Over 4,000 Allied landing craft took part in the Normandy Landings with a huge range of designs created for specific roles and capabilities
![BEHIND ENEMY LINES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/oiaUU-YCT1715259191728/BEHIND-ENEMY-LINES.jpg)
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Spearheading the invasion of occupied France in 1944 were a small number of Special Forces soldiers dropped deep into enemy territory. Among them was a young Londoner, fresh from training here he reveals how he survived guerrilla warfare in France and beyond as part of the fledgling Special Air Service
![JIMMIE MONTEITH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/sIiRV6WDW1715258958673/JIMMIE-MONTEITH.jpg)
JIMMIE MONTEITH
In the crucible of battle at Omaha Beach on D-Day, this officer of the famed 1st Infantry Division earned his nation’s highest honour at the cost of his life
![KLEINKAMPFVERBÄNDE - GERMANY'S COUNTER-ATTACKS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/h5wT5nTmz1715258693139/KLEINKAMPFVERBNDE-GERMANYS-COUNTERATTACKS.jpg)
KLEINKAMPFVERBÄNDE - GERMANY'S COUNTER-ATTACKS
As Allied forces crossed the Channel and stormed into Normandy, Hitler's navy fought back using a deadly new breed of maritime weaponry
![STORMING GOLD BEACH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/q53Uo7w2B1715258401374/STORMING-GOLD-BEACH.jpg)
STORMING GOLD BEACH
War veteran Ron Peet helped assault Gold Beach on D-Day Here he shares his experiences
![UNDERGROUND WREN](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/uUCoj-Td81715258190222/UNDERGROUND-WREN.jpg)
UNDERGROUND WREN
Deep in the bowels of Fort Southwick, radio operator Marie Scott was one of the first to hear reports as Operation Overlord got underway, passing critical communications between the men on the beaches and high command
![MINESWEEPER OFF NORMANDY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/v1UaBT81k1715257976689/MINESWEEPER-OFF-NORMANDY.jpg)
MINESWEEPER OFF NORMANDY
After helping clear the path to France, Royal Navy veteran Claude Sealey and his crewmates experienced a deadly encounter with their own countrymen
![THE RECCE RIDER OF RANVILLE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/3s3PjQpYt1715257618811/THE-RECCE-RIDER-OF-RANVILLE.jpg)
THE RECCE RIDER OF RANVILLE
After fencing behind enemy lines in Normandy, William Bill’ Gladden conducted us reconnaissance on his motorcycle
![SWORD BEACH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/15214/1693513/4WIU31y2w1715257268677/SWORD-BEACH.jpg)
SWORD BEACH
The easternmost sector of the 6 June Normandy Landings was a mostly British affair, and Saw some of the biggest territorial gains of the first day of the Allied invasion