<Tr> <Th> Memorials </Th> <Td> Wojtek Memorial Trust </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> thesoldierbear.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Wojtek (1942--1963; Polish pronunciation: (ˈvɔjtɛk); in English, sometimes spelled Voytek and so pronounced) was a Syrian brown bear purchased, as a young cub, at a railroad station in Hamadan, Iran, by Polish II Corps soldiers who had been evacuated from the Soviet Union . In order to provide for his rations and transportation, he was eventually enlisted officially as a soldier with the rank of private, and was subsequently promoted to corporal . </P> <P> He accompanied the bulk of the Polish Second Corps to Italy, serving with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company . During the Battle of Monte Cassino, in Italy in 1944, Wojtek helped move crates of ammunition and became a celebrity with visiting Allied generals and statesmen . </P>

The bear who fought in world war 2