Wojtek： The Bear Who Fought in World War 2 Wojtek was a real Syrian brown bear who became an unofficial soldier in the Polish II Corps during World War II. In 1942, Polish soldiers evacuated from Soviet gulags bought the orphaned cub from a young Iranian boy for a handful of food, cigarettes, and pocket money near Hamadan. The bear cub, named Wojtek (“joyful warrior” in Polish), was adopted as the unit’s mascot and raised like one of the men. He grew to over 6 feet tall and 500 pounds, slept in