On the battlefield, what would it be like if a brown bear carrying a cannonball passes by you?
Maybe you think this is a joke, but this is indeed what happened.
During the World War period, there was such a brown bear; on the battlefield, it was a soldier; in daily life, it was a good partner; it was Wojciech ( Polish formerly known as Wojciech "Joyful Warrior" ā)
A Syrian brown bear belonging to the 22nd Artillery Supply Battery of the 2nd Artillery Regiment of the Free Polish Forces during World War II .
Regarding this brown bear soldier on the battlefield, we have to start from 1942.
In 1942, in the northern part of Iran, a local boy picked up an abandoned bear cub at the foot of the Alborz Mountains. The little boy, who was unable to raise it, decided to take the brown bear to live with the Polish troops stationed there. The army exchanged some rations.
The atmosphere in the Polish garrison at that time was very relaxed, because there was no war, and the people in the army also liked the little brown bear very much, so the little bear made a home in the army. When
was sent to the army, the little bear had not yet been weaned, so the people in the army came up with a way: put condensed milk into empty vodka bottles and feed it to it. As the little bear grew up, the relationship with the soldiers in the army became deeper and deeper. The soldiers all liked the little bear very much.
Wo Tie grew up day by day, and the animal's habits determined that it would imitate the people around it; but Wo Tie was surrounded by soldiers, so the little bear Wo Tie who grew up in the army learned to smoke and drink, but did not perm his hair.
As the days passed, Wo Tie's size also increased day by day. It was easy to hide when he was young at first, but he couldn't hide it as he grew up. This matter was known to the company commander of the army. The little bear, who thought he would be driven away by the company commander, unexpectedly got the company commander's approval and decided to keep the little bear in the army. He also gave the little bear a Name: Wotie.
was recognized by the company commander, and from then on the existence of this little bear became an unspoken secret in the military camp.
The good days are always short.
On April 14, 1944, Wo Tie's unit had a mission and was sent to fight on the Italian front; the person in charge of the port at that time was a British person, but Alexandria, the commander of the British port, refused to allow wild animals to board the ship. He was willing to let Wo Tie board the ship and said that only formal soldiers could board the ship.
The Polish company commander at the time became anxious. This was their partner who had been with them for a long time. How could they leave it alone? The Polish company commander immediately asked the supreme commander of the Cairo army for instructions, so that Little Bear Wotie received a formal military title as a private, and also arranged a service number and basic salary for Wotie.
Now the British had no choice but to agree to Wotie's request to board the ship.
At the beginning, the British thought the Poles were crazy and actually brought a bear to the battlefield. Later they realized what a correct decision it was to bring the fertile iron to the battlefield.
The battlefield was filled with artillery fire, but on the battlefield where the shells were flying, Wo Tie was not afraid at all, so Wo Tie became a transport soldier very gloriously.
In order for Wotie to learn to carry artillery shells, the soldiers taught Wotie to carry them. Wotie did not disappoint the soldiers. The strength of the brown bear allowed Wotie to carry several boxes of artillery shells at a time, and Wotie was not affected by the terrain and surrounding environment. Therefore, made the command headquarters particularly gratified. After obtaining approval from the Polish Military Department Later, the 22nd Artillery Transport Company was authorized to change its official emblem to a bear holding a cannonball, and was renamed the 22nd Transport Company.
According to statistics, Wo Tie's transport squad at the time supplied approximately 17,300 tons of ammunition, 1,200 tons of fuel, and 1,100 tons of food. Due to his outstanding performance on the battlefield, Wo Tie was promoted to corporal.
According to one source, a British soldier at the time recalled that during the brutal Battle of Monte Carlo Casino in the spring of 1944, he suddenly discovered that a huge brown bear appeared in his unit, holding a stone in his arms. The heavy mortar ammunition calmly passed by him. This sight scared him half to death.
After the end of World War II, Wotie followed the 22nd Transport Company to Scotland; later, due to the reconstruction of Poland, Polish soldiers returned to the country one after another, and Wotie was arranged to Edinburgh Zoo, and finally Passed away in December 1963.
Later, in order to commemorate this legendary brown bear, people erected a statue of the brown bear Wo Tie in Edinburgh ; to this day, Wo Tie is still the pride of the Polish and Scottish people, and is a well-deserved "British Bear".
For people, Wotie's deeds are legendary, not to mention that in the brown bear world, Wotie is a unique existence!
While Wo Tie was at the Edinburgh Zoo, Wo Tie's comrades would visit him from time to time and bring him food. In addition to eating honey, jam, juice, and fruit, Wo Tie's favorite drink was the same beer as ordinary soldiers.
During his years at Edinburgh Zoo, in addition to being chased by the spotlight, Wo Tie was also a frequent guest on the BBC's longevity children's animal program "Blue Peter". It is still remembered to this day.
