Wojtek — Wikipedia
A wikipedia article, free l’encyclopéi.
Wojtek [ Note 1 ] , born in 1942 and died in 1963, is a brown bear from Syria, a war animal in the Polish army during the Second World War.
In 1942, near the city of Hamadan in Iran, a boy from the region met an abandoned cub. He wins with him and barters it to the Polish army parked nearby in exchange for a few canned meat. From the start, the animal is an attraction for soldiers and civilians, becoming the unofficial mascot of all the units in the region. Consequently, it is officially integrated into the Polish army, thus being one of the soldiers of the 22 It is Artillery supply company from the second Polish army corps. Alongside the troop, he crosses Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Egypt, before finding himself in southern Italy.
At less than a year old, the bear first has difficulty swallowing. It is nourished with concentrated milk, placed in an empty bottle of vodka. Subsequently, he began to be fed by fruit, molasses, marmalade and honey, in addition to being frequently watered with beer, which turned out to be his favorite drink. He also likes to smoke and eat cigarettes, play fighting and learns to salute when you greet him. Inasmuch as soldier Officially engaged in the company, he lives with other men under tents or in a tailor -made wooden cage and transported by truck [ first ] .
War animal It is raised to the rank of corporal, it even helps to transport ammunition, such as cartridges of artillery shells 25 books, during the battle of Monte Cassino [ 2 ] . In recognition, an artillery shell has become the official emblem of the 22 It is transport company of the second body artillery group. He is the only bear in the world to have served in the army [ 2 ] .
After the end of the war, the 22 It is Company is confined to Camp Winfield, in Hutton (in) , near Duns (Berwickshire). THE Caporal Wojtek is one of the three thousand soldiers of the camp and becomes a very popular figure with neighboring residents [ 3 ] .
Demobilized in 1947, he spent the end of his life, at the Edinburgh Zoo. He dies in , at the age of 22; He then weighs some 250 and a half pounds (113.62 kg) and measures approximately 1.80 m [ 3 ] .
A statue of Wojtek (in) Directed by the sculptor Alan Herriot was erected in his honor in Princes Street Gardens Park in Edinburgh in Scotland.
In 2014, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, a Wojtek soldier’s bear statue was inaugurated in Krakow in Jordan Park (in) To pay tribute to this improbable hero [ 4 ] .
A Polish-British animated film, A bear named Wojtek ( A Bear Named Wojtek ), must go out in [ 5 ] .
Iron Harvest video game contains a soldier bear named Wojtek.
-
-
Badge 22 It is transport company.
-
-
-
Statue of Wojtek in the Jordan Park in Krakow.
-
Statue of Wojtek in the Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.
- Diminous of the Slavic name “Wojciech”, his name is derived from two words: “woj” (from “wojownik” warrior and “wojna” war) and “ciech” (joy). The name therefore has two meanings: “He who amuses war” or “smiling warrior” (source Polish page Wojtek)
- (in) The Scotsman, ‘ Smarter than the average big bear : Plus intelligent que le gros ours moyen» , on scotswman.com , (consulted the ) .
- Alain Constant, “wojtek, the soldier bear”, The world , July 18, 2012
- (in) Edinburgh Zoo, ‘ Our history : Notre histoire» , on edinburghzoo.org.uk (consulted the ) .
- The small newspaper, ‘ Wojtek – a statue erected with the effigy of the famous bear » , on lepetitjournal.com , (consulted the ) .
- ‘ A real “soldier bear” of the 2nd world war hero of a cartoon » , on Orange , (consulted the ) .
Related articles [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
external links [ modifier | Modifier and code ]
Recent Comments