WWII's Animal Soldiers - Bears fought in the war?!
From Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods · 17:32
Show by Global
A bear with a service number, a pigeon that stopped an airstrike, and a medal you can only win if you've got paws, wings or hooves.This is the Extra Legendary Bit, our Sunday supplement to wash down the main WWII : IMpossible Missions episode with. In this bonus episode Johnny Vaughan and Gavin "The Woodman" Woods take your emails and run with them. Listener Dave in Bristol writes in asking about the bear that joined the Polish Army, and it sends Gav off into the animal ranks of the Second World War.What You'll Hear in This Episode:🐻 The bear who was officially enlisted – Wojtek, a Syrian brown bear cub orphaned by hunters and adopted by Polish troops passing through Iran. When transport regulations threatened to leave him behind, the army's solution was simple: sign him up. Service number and all. Private Wojtek.💥 Monte Cassino, 1944 – how Wojtek is remembered carrying boxes of artillery shells up towards the guns in one of the Italian campaign's bloodiest battles - and why a bear hugging an artillery shell ended up on the unit's badge.🏴 From the front line to Edinburgh Zoo – where Wojtek went after the war, and the long retirement that followed.🕊️ GI Joe, the pigeon who saved 100 men – October 1943. Allied troops take an Italian village ahead of schedule. The airstrike on that village is still scheduled. One pigeon, 20 miles in 20 minutes, arriving as the engines were already running.🎖️ The Animals' Victoria Cross – what the PDSA Dickin Medal actually is, who set it up, and why pigeons are the most decorated animals of the lot.🏰 The royal pigeon loft – Johnny on why the royal family dominated pigeon racing, and why serious fanciers want a bit of Belgian in there.🪶 Which animal would you enlist? – hyenas, an eagle on each shoulder, and Johnny's lifelong dream of a trained seagull that fetches chips.🕯️ "They had no choice" – the inscription on the Animals in War memorial on Park Lane, and a quietly moving moment between two men who were, moments earlier, discussing bear snuggling.If you love WWII stories, unlikely heroes, Dickin Medal winners and animals that frankly outranked most of us, this one's for you.Got an impossible mission of your own? Stag dos, hen dos, surprise 90ths, away-day coach logistics, unruly hiking trips — if you pulled off a coup, we want to hear it. And we'll take your remarkable animals too.📩 Send it to: [email protected] 📲 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @BloominLegends🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloominlegendsListen to all episodes on Global Player, download the app, or visit www.globalplayer.comBloomin' Legends – WWII: The Impossible Missions is a Global productionExecutive Producer – Adem WatermanSenior Producer – Ben FaircloughLead Producer – Elena GuthrieProducers – Cassie Merrit, Jasmine Feldman, Sam Johnson & Onyi OlisaNew episodes are released every Wednesday & Sunday. Subscribe to never miss an episode!
More episodes of Bloomin' Legends with Johnny Vaughan & Gavin Woods
More episodes
- Operation Frankton: WWII's Most Dangerous Mission
- Introducing - Bloomin' Legends: The Impossible Missions
- Operation Postmaster: Churchill’s boldest WWII mission
- Introducing "WWII: The Impossible Missions”
- Halloween Special: Ghost Armies, Ghost Planes & a Ghost Ship
- The Extra Legendary Bit: Public Executions, Coppers & Roland the Farter
- Diogenes: Our First Philosopher, and He Lived Like a Dog
- The Extra Legendary Bit: The Riot Dog of Athens & a Dog Poo Landmine
- Captain John Smith: The Man Behind Jamestown and Pocahontas
- The Extra Legendary Bit: Weaponised slurry, police hoodwinking & generational Scouse blaggers
PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.