At a railroad station at Hamadan, Iran, on 8 April 1942, Polish soldiers encountered a young Iranian boy who had found a bear cub whose mother had been shot by hunters.
The bear was taken in by the men of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company and pretty soon became part of the crew and was named Wojtek (Happy Warrior). He was given fruit, marmalade, honey and syrup, and was often rewarded with beer, which became his favourite drink. He later also enjoyed smoking (or eating) cigarettes as well as drinking coffee in the mornings. He also would sleep with the other soldiers if they were ever cold in the night. He enjoyed wrestling with the soldiers and was taught to salute when greeted.
Wojtek was officially drafted into the Polish Army as a private and was listed among the soldiers, with his own paybook, rank, and serial number.
During the Battle of Monte Cassino, he helped carrying 100-pound crates of 25-pound artillery shells, all without dropping a single one. The bear mimicked the soldiers: when he saw the other soldiers lifting crates, he copied them. The boxes he carried normally required 4 men, and he would stack them onto a truck, or stack the boxes of ammunition onto each other. For his actions, he was promoted to Corporal.
At the end of the war, he was sent to Scotland and became popular with the locals and press. Wojtek would eventually be brought to the Endiburgh Zoo until his death in 1963. (Please, do not go out in the woods and befriend a bear, he will most likely fuck you up and eat your butthole). #ww2 #bear #wojtek #stayzero #zerofoxtrot