The bear who fought in a war

Poland – In World War II, Wojciech Narebski and his fellow Polish servicemen had to lift crate after heavy crate of artillery.

Fortunately one of the “soldiers” had superhuman strength: “Corporal Wojtek” – a Syrian brown bear.

“When he saw that we were struggling, he’d want to help ... He’d come over, grab a crate and carry it to the truck,” Narebski, now 93, told AFP.

Old photos show the bulky bear, who grew to be over 1.8 metres tall and weighed about 220jkg, giving bear hugs and spending day at the beach with soldiers.

The true story of the orphaned cub, found by Polish troops in Persia, is now being turned into an animated movie called A Bear Named Wojtek, and is planned for release in 2020. – AFP