The Bear That Fought In World War II
The 490-pound Syrian brown bear might have been the scariest solider.
![The Bear That Fought In World War II](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/9/5/743695_320x180.jpg?v=1)
Meet Wojtek, the 490-pound Syrian brown bear that might have been the most intimidating solider during World War II. Read more about how a bear became an official solider below.
![In 1942, a small bear cub, orphaned by hunters, was sold to Polish soldiers in Iran. THAT BEAR WOULD BECOME A MEMBER OF THE 22ND ARTILLERY SUPPLY COMP](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/8/8/743688.jpg?v=2)
![The bear was named Wojtek. He was bottle-fed by the soldiers and accompanied them on their travels. HE WAS LIKE A BIG DOG, NO ONE WAS SCARED OF HIM,](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/8/9/743689.jpg?v=2)
![In 1944, the Polish troops were joining comrades fighting in Italy, but no pets were allowed on the boat. IT WAS THEN HE WAS OFFICIALLY ENLISTEDAS ASO](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/9/1/743691.jpg?v=2)
![Wojtek would play-fight his fellow soldiers, eat cigarettes, drink beer, and even sleep in soldiers' tents. HE HELPED KEEP UP THE SOLDIERS' MORALE. CR](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/8/7/743687.jpg?v=2)
![HE WAS ALSO USEFUL. HE CARRIED MORTAR SHELLS AND EVEN ONCE CAUGHT A SPY. As a furry animal in a desert, Wojtek loved cold showers. One day he was deli](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/9/2/743692.jpg?v=2)
![HE RECEIVED HERO STATUS DURING THE BATTLE OF MONTE CASSINO. Several accounts confirm that during the chaos of battle, the bear copied his comrades by](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/9/3/743693.jpg?v=2)
![AFTER THE WAR, HE WAS MOVED TO THE EDINBURGH ZOO. He was said to perk up whenever he heard Polish. Ex-servicemen would visit to feed him cigarettes. H](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/6/9/0/743690.jpg?v=2)