Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors
discuss the joys and challenges of the research process with an essay by Susan
Hood. Thank you, Susan.
Once
long ago, Polish soldiers found an abandoned bear cub who grew up to be their
beloved troop mascot and a World War II hero.
Could
this story possibly be true
Yes!
Wojtek did exist. In fact, there are memorials to him all over Europe. (Photo: Wojtek Memorial in Edinburgh. Courtesy of sculptor Alan Beattie Herriot.)
And yet, most Americans have never heard of him. I knew this was a story I wanted
to share, but how much of it was fact, how much was historical fiction, and how
much was pure legend?
One
cardinal rule of writing nonfiction is this: don’t believe everything you hear.
Researching Brothers in Arms: The True Story of Wojtek the Bear and the
Soldiers Who Loved Him was tricky because Wojtek is so beloved that people want
to believe even the most outrageous stories about him.
To
get to the truth, I got in touch with Wojciech Narębski (left photo below, smallest soldier. Courtesy of Donna Speers.), the last surviving
member of Wojtek’s troop, and the son of Dymitr Szawlugo (Dymitr, right photo below, left), and also interviewed descendants of other soldiers
who knew the bear.
Buying
a Bear
The
story:
Polish Army soldiers marching to join the Allies met a shepherd boy with a
newborn bear cub. They purchased the darling cub for “a few coins, a bar of
chocolate, a Swiss army knife, and a tin of bully (corned) beef.”
The
truth:
It’s tempting to believe such delicious details, especially when you see them
again and again. There’s a term for this: confirmation bias. Sadly, these
details are not true. I found the granddaughter of Lieutenant Anatol
Tarnowiecki, who bought the bear for a few coins.
Mother
Bear
The
story:
Lance Corporal Piotr Prendyś was celebrated in many accounts as Wojtek’s
primary caregiver. His nickname was “Mother Bear.”
The
truth:
There are dozens of photos of Wojtek and other soldiers, but none of Piotr. Odd.
Relatives of other soldiers hinted that he didn’t exist; he was a composite
figure. With museums closed during COVID, it took months to score the military
roll for the troop. There was Piotr’s name. He DID exist. But still no photos.
With
the help of social media and relatives, I discovered the grave of Piotr Prendyś
in London. The dates matched his death notice in the London Gazette. Look!
His photo is on the stone (Courtesy of Mariusz Lukasz Zawadzki). A visitor I enlisted confirmed that the grave exists
and this (the only-known) photo of Wojtek’s friend is part of it.
Wojtek,
War Hero
The
story:
During
the famous Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy, Wojtek delivered live ammunition
to the artillerymen on the front lines.
The
truth:
Wojtek
grew up surrounded by men and often imitated them, walking upright, riding in
jeeps, even drinking beer. But carrying ammo? This legendary story started as a
joke played on an unsuspecting journalist; one British officer even claimed to
be an eyewitness.
Wojciech
Narębski said, “That’s a fairy tale.” But Narębski confirmed that the bear saw
the men struggling to lift heavy crates of shells onto the supply trucks in
Venafro, miles from the front lines. He copied what they were doing, using his
great strength to lift heavy crates and more importantly, to lift the men’s
spirits. “He was a great morale boost to us all,” said Henryk Zacharewicz, one
of Wojtek’s closest friends.
Could a bear physically heft a crate weighing 176 to 220 pounds? A bear biologist confirmed that bears have manual dexterity, and Wojtek
could have hefted a crate of that weight. He would not have been able to
grasp a slippery single shell as often depicted. However, the troop fed Wojtek’s
legend when it changed its insignia (Photo: Insignia of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. Courtesy of Andy Szawlugo.). The new logo appeared on company vehicles,
and soldiers wore the sought-after badge on their uniforms. And so the legend
grew.
Seeing
Isn’t Believing
In
this age of digital manipulation, we know we can’t always trust what we see. Many
photos of “Wojtek” on the internet are fakes. Some were picked up from a film
called Bär (2014) by Pascal
Floerks, who incorporated a bear into war scenes for a graduation project. He
never claimed the bear was Wojtek, but others copied and pasted the scenes, spreading
misinformation. A Dutch historian named Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, devoted to
exposing fake history on social media, has a fascinating post showing before and
after shots of photoshopped scenes.
Truth
Can Be Stranger Than Fiction
Some
unbelievable details in Wojtek’s story—that he captured a spy; that he was
enlisted as a private with his own paybook, rank, and serial number; that his
best friend was a Dalmatian named Kirkuk; that his nemesis was a monkey named
Kasia—are all true. And there, in a nutshell, is the delight of writing
nonfiction—uncovering astounding truths about our amazing world.
Susan Hood is the award-winning
author of more than 200 children’s books. Her latest nonfiction titles are The
Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics (HarperColllins) and We Are One: How the
World Adds Up (Candlewick). Coming soon: A middle grade biography in verse
entitled Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis
(HarperCollins, March 2022) and Brothers in Arms: The True Story of Wojtek
the Bear and the Soldiers Who Loved Him (HarperCollins, Fall 2022).
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4 Responses
Wonderful post!! Thank you so much for sharing your book journey, Susan.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing your research journey, Susan!
Thank you for this fascinating article, Susan! I'm going to assume you don't speak Polish, so could you say a bit about working with a translator?
I love this intriguing breakdown of story vs truth in Susan's researching for the book!