Posted: 7/16/2012 6:29:15 AM EDT
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Interesting read - http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/wojtek-the-bear-that-joined-the-polish-army-and-fought-the-nazis-a-844056.html
Archibald Brown had already seen a lot during the war –– but nothing like this. It was mid-February 1944, and the courier for British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery was in the port of Naples to help process a unit of Polish soldiers that had just arrived by ship from Alexandria, Egypt, to advance with British soldiers against German and Italian forces. Among his everyday duties was checking crew manifests and speaking with freshly arrived soldiers. But this would be no typical day.
Brown had already spoken with every single member of the new unit, the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps –– except one... 
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From http://www.ww2incolor.com/poland/wojtek_and_beer.html: Private Wojtek, the Polish Soldier Bear, of 22nd Polish Artillery Transport Company, enjoys a beer in Berwickshire, Scotland, prior to his Company's demobilisation (c. 1946). Wojtek (through his comrades) refused repatriation to Communist-ruled Poland in favour of taking up residence at Edinburgh Zoo, where he died, of old age, in 1963.
While with the Polish forces, like many soldiers, he developed a liking for beer and cigarettes (he did not usually smoke cigarettes - he liked to eat partly smoked ones). |
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http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/631658-2/wojtek_and_beer From http://www.ww2incolor.com/poland/wojtek_and_beer.html: Private Wojtek, the Polish Soldier Bear, of 22nd Polish Artillery Transport Company, enjoys a beer in Berwickshire, Scotland, prior to his Company's demobilisation (c. 1946). Wojtek (through his comrades) refused repatriation to Communist-ruled Poland in favour of taking up residence at Edinburgh Zoo, where he died, of old age, in 1963.
While with the Polish forces, like many soldiers, he developed a liking for beer and cigarettes (he did not usually smoke cigarettes - he liked to eat partly smoked ones). Oh, hell yeah. He liked to drink beer, too. He was pretty much just one of the guys. I'm certain he would have played poker, but you know, that whole thumbs thing. |
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There're some amazing side stories that come out from WWII, and this is right up there! How cool would that be for a unit insignia? 
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