WOJTEK THE 'SOLDIER BEAR'

This legendary brown bear accompanied Poland's army in exile across continents and onto the frontline

- MAREK SOBIERALSKI

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.