Wojtek: The Beer Drinking Bear that Served in WWII
In early 1942, Moscow had a political problem. During their occupation of Poland, the Soviets had sent hundreds of thousands of Poles to gulags and other internment camps. But the German invasion of Russia in June of 1941 had brought the Soviets into an alliance with the Western Allies.
Among those allies was Poland, and the Soviets were still holding tens of thousands of Poles in barbaric conditions. Many had already died in the conditions or been killed in places such as the Katyn Forest. To the relief of the survivors, on the 30th of July 1941, exiled Polish Prime Minister Wladyslaw Sikorski and Soviet Ambassador to the UK, Ivan Mayski, signed the Sikorski-Mayski agreement. This agreement set the stage for the release of all Polish prisoners and the formation of a Polish Army in the Soviet Union.
But the Soviet Union was barely feeding and clothing its own army at the time. It was hardly capable of standing up a Polish Army too. So the Soviets worked out an agreement with the British to send a significant portion of the freed Poles to the British forces in the Middle East.
In this region, another, smaller tragedy was unfolding: a young Syrian brown bear cub had been left to his fate after his mother had been shot by hunters. The cub’s salvation came from a young Persian boy who discovered the cub and, likely sensing a profit, brought it back to the Iranian town of Hamedan.
As the bear came to Hamedan, Persia was being flooded by Polish refugees landing in the port city of Anzali. From Anzali they spread out to camps all across Iran and Iraq. One of these Polish refugees was an 18-year-old girl named Irena Bokiewicz. On April 8, 1942, Irena was on a train bound for Tehran when they stopped at the station in Hamedan. There at the station was a boy selling a young bear cub. Taken by the cub, Irena eventually convinced a young Army Lieutenant to purchase the bear for her. We do not know what, or if, Irena named the bear, but the young cub came with her to a refugee camp in Tehran.
In Tehran, the bear grew quickly under Irena’s care. Too quickly. After three months, it became apparent to Irena that she would not be able to properly care for a bear that was getting bigger by the day. She made the decision to donate the bear to the Polish 2nd Transport Company. With his new home, the bear also got a new name. He was dubbed Wojtek, a diminutive form Wojciech, which meant happy warrior.
Wojtek Joins the Army
The soldiers quickly took to Wojtek. Being raised by humans from a young age, he was described as being more like a child or dog than a bear. Wojtek enjoyed wrestling with the soldiers and would even march around with them on his hind legs. He was fed a steady diet of condensed milk, fruit, honey, and any other rations the soldiers could scrounge up. The soldiers were particularly delighted to discover that Wojtek’s favorite beverage was beer. A creature of their own hearts, Wojtek was known to quickly polish off a bottle and hold it up to his eyes looking for more.
Eventually, the Polish 2nd Transport Company was renamed the 22nd Artillery Supply Company and they moved near Baghdad to be trained by Scottish soldiers. With the British, the Poles stepped up their training. The 22nd was no longer refitting, they were preparing to move to Egypt and the war in Europe. And Wojtek started down the path that would take him from mascot to soldier.
Wojtek’s exploits began to grow too. In the lead-up to the Christmas Eve feast of 1942, Wojtek got to the stores first. When the cooks got to the supply tent later, they found the entire feast torn apart and a contented bear. Normally this would have deeply upset soldiers- and it likely did upset some- however, Wojtek was becoming a deeply loved part of the formation. He may have eaten their food, but Wojtek gave them something to love, care for, and be proud of in the absence of their families and loved ones.
He was also pretty good at catching infiltrators. One evening in Gaza, an individual with anti-British inclinations slipped onto the base with the intention of stealing ammunition. His route took him directly into contact with Wojtek who was sleeping near the ammunition. The screams that ensued from the man quickly led to his discovery and arrest.
While the Poles were stopped in Gaza on their way to Egypt, Wojtek had been suffering in the heat. Seeking to escape the heat, Wojtek was always searching for water. His search led him to discover the showers and how to turn them on. The water shortages he created were initially a cause of consternation. After the incident with the thief, he was rewarded with unlimited showers. But he had earned more than some free showers and the love of the soldiers, he was also earning his keep. And more was to follow.
Egypt was the staging area from where the 22nd would be sent forward to Europe. The 22nd was now trained and ready to make the Germans pay for the invasion of Poland. For the members of the 22nd though there was a hang-up: the British troop ships would not allow animal mascots. But the Poles were not about to give up on their beloved bear so easily and they quickly enlisted him into the Polish Army. Wojtek henceforth became Private Wojtek with an official payroll. In lieu of money, he was paid in double rations.
Grudgingly, the British accepted the loophole and Private Wojtek boarded a troop transport bound for Italy where he would soon find himself embroiled in the savage battle for Monte Cassino.
It was in Monte Cassino where Wojtek secured his legacy. High on a rock fortress, Monte Cassino dominated the surrounding passes and the Germans clung to it tenaciously. The treacherous ground was not well suited to vehicles and the soldiers of the 22nd were finding themselves hand-carrying artillery crates up to the batteries from the trucks.
Like many new soldiers, Wojtek was initially terrified by the incredible noise and chaos from the battle. But eventually, he began emulating the soldiers. Standing up on his hind legs as he had done when the Poles taught him to march, Wojtek ambled up to an ammunition truck with outstretched paws. The surprised soldiers gave him a 100-pound ammunition crate. Normally a four-man lift, Wojtek was able to move them with ease, and he carried on doing so.
Wojtek had long been a source of amusement for visiting dignitaries and journalists with the 22nd but he had now transcended the role of a simple mascot. He was a part of the unit. He studiously imitated what the other soldiers were doing. If they stacked the crates he would do so, and if they loaded them onto the truck he would follow along. He undoubtedly did this to the great encouragement of his fellow soldiers and the immense astonishment of at least one British soldier who later reported seeing a bear moving ammunition crates as he made his way to the front lines.
Monte Cassino was the last serious battle the 22nd was in and they celebrated their unique soldier too. For his actions in Monte Cassino, Wojtek was promoted to Corporal and the unit received permission to change its emblem to the silhouette of Wojtek carrying an artillery shell.
After the War
Upon the conclusion of the War, the 22nd moved to Scotland to refit and determine its future. Even though Wojitek had left the battlefield, he was unwittingly heading into a political clash. Having caught wind of his story, the Soviets wanted him brought to Warsaw as a symbol of their victory. But the soldiers of the 22nd were having none of it. The Soviets had invaded their country, brutally imprisoned their friends and family, and then took control of their country again. They were not about to allow the Soviets to have their bear too. The 22nd steadfastly fought against his transfer to Warsaw and when Wojtek’s company was dissolved on the 15th of November 1947, Wojtek found a new home in the Edinburgh Zoo.
From his new home in the zoo, Wojtek continued to be popular. He was often visited by his former brothers-in-arms and made regular appearances on a BBC children’s show called Blue Peter.
Wojtek passed away in December of 1963 at the age of 21. His death inspired memorials to be built in towns and cities across both Scotland and Poland. Weighing in at 1,000 pounds when he died, it was probably a good thing that Irena gave the cub to the army. In doing so, she also gave the world a bright piece of history in an otherwise dark time.
