Honoring 'Wojtek' the Bear Who Fought the Nazis

http://news.yahoo.com/ ^

[jakerobins]

It's a story worthy of a Hollywood adaptation. A cuddly bear cub, orphaned in the mountains of northern Iran, grows up to become a soldier in the Polish army and helps fight the Nazis during World War II.

"Wojtek" the bear, Polish for "The Smiling Warrior" or "He Who Enjoys War," continues to be honored today, German news magazine Der Spiegel reports.

According to legend, the bear was rescued by a young boy in the mountains of northern Iran after hunters had shot the cub's mother, and was later sold to the Polish army.

The soldiers were part of the so-called "Anders Army," a unit composed of Polish prisoners of war released by the Soviet Union after it was attacked by Germany, and the cuddly bear cub provided an instant morale boost for the soldiers, many of whom had endured Soviet internment camps

[jakerobins]

A bear that Drinks bear, eats cigarette's and fights Nazi's? Sounds like the script for a good movie...

[Ron C.]

Wojtek (pronounced Voytek) became a very big bear (400 plus pounds) that carried shells to big guns, and helped load them on trucks. Hell of a story, worth the time to read about it.

Just type Wojteck in a search.

[katana]

This was no Teddy Bear

[rmlew]

A bear that Drinks bear, eats cigarette's and fights Nazi's? Sounds like the script for a good movie...

The BBC made a documentary http://www.wojtekfilm.com/large/map.htm

The Wikipedia page on him is quite good. Follow the links.