I first heard about Wojtek the Soldier Bear a year ago when I visited Jordan Park in Krakow and saw a statue of a bear. The plaque beneath the statue told me that Wojtek was a soldier who fought in World War II on the side of the Allies. In 1942, soldiers from the 2nd Polish Corps found a bear cub, fell in love with him, trained him, and enlisted him into the Polish army. Wojtek fought in General Władysław Anders’ army for the freedom of the world and Poland. Interestingly, in Jordan Park, Wojtek’s statue stands on its hind legs, pointing to another monument of his commander, General Anders. Wojtek fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino. After the war, he was sent to the Edinburgh Zoo, where he passed away in 1962.
While researching Wojtek the Soldier Bear, I found some interesting anecdotes on Wikipedia. The bear enjoyed traveling in the cab of a truck and wrestling with soldiers. He once detected an Arab spy hiding in a bathhouse and enjoyed showering. Sometimes, Wojtek caused trouble. He was well-liked among the soldiers, who often hid his antics from the officers and shared their food with him.
Wojtek took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Wojtek participated in the Battle of Monte Cassino on May 18, 1944. His task was to deliver ammunition to artillery units. Although not trained for the job, he learned to handle 45-kilogram crates by observing the soldiers. Without prompting, Wojtek would grab the crates and carry them in his characteristic way: standing on his hind legs, he would hold out his arms, into which the soldiers placed the crates of ammunition. Wojtek then carried them to the firing positions and returned to the truck for more. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek’s company delivered the following supplies to Polish and British troops: 17,300 tons of ammunition, 1,200 tons of fuel, and 1,100 tons of food. From then on, the symbol of the 22nd Company became a bear with a shell in its paws. This emblem appeared on military vehicles, pennants, and soldiers’ uniforms.
To officially enlist Wojtek in the 2nd Polish Corps, General Władysław Anders made him a corporal. According to Wojciech Narębski, Wojtek had his own service number, military book, and cigarette ration.
What amazes me about Wojtek’s story is the friendship between a wild animal and humans, or rather, many humans. It’s incredible that untrained and unqualified people took care of a wild animal, trained him, and formed a bond with him.
Cursive Tracing Worksheets – Wojtek, the Soldier Bear
As Industriousmom, I create primarily worksheets to help people of all ages practice writing. If you’ve used my worksheets before, you know I love adding educational content to the practice. That’s how the idea came about to add a little-known but worth-knowing story to a cursive tracing file. I hope you enjoy Wojtek the Soldier Bear’s story. I’ve added my hand-drawn picture of the bear. Additionally, I created a page with a Wojtek-themed cursive word search. Try to find all 15 words. To make it more challenging, the words are written in block letters, but the word search itself is in cursive.
What do you think about these pages? Let me know in the comments if you like them.
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