Animals in war

There is a very interesting and memorial on Park Lane dedicated to animals in war with the epitaph "They had no choice". I walk past it when I have to go in to London and find it quite moving.

Well it seems that this epitaph might not be accurate as the remarkable story of Voytek the bear attests:

The 250lb brown bear, standing more than 6ft tall, was possibly the most remarkable combatant of the Second World War, seeing action amid the hell of Monte Cassino in Italy.
...
Cradling 25lb shells or boxes of ammunition in his arms, he would effortlessly pass them down the line. Off-duty, he loved a bottle of beer, a cigarette and to wrestle with the men - in between raids on the cookhouse.

A remarkable story and one which is well worth a read.

H/T An Englishman's Castle