A Special Soldier / 英熊傳奇

　　During World War II, there was a special soldier in Polish army who named Voytek. He liked to smoke, or drink - that's nothing special? So far it is.

　　It is, however, when compared with his military teamates, that he looked a bit different: He was obviously a big guy, 6-foot tall and 500 pounds. You might even think he was a bit overweight but he did handle his stuff very well as a soldier.　

　　In 1944, Voytek took part in the famous Battle of Monte Cassino, where his job was to transport ammunition. Though needless to fight with a gun, the rocky transportting route and the shower of bullets made the job no easier than a real battle. Yet Voytek never be scared out by firing sounds or dropped a crate that filled with explosives. Instead, he can move a 100 kg crate by his bare hands, which was definitely a record.

　　As an award for his perfect performance, the military headquarter then approved an effigy of Voytek holding an artillery shell as the official emblem of the 22nd Company.

　　After the military life, Voytek got a "job" at the Edinburgh Zoo. His old military friends visited him so often and brought him cigarettes sometimes. Again, Voytek was the well-known. Almost everyone visited the Zoo gave him a greeting.

　　In 1963, Voytek finally passed away, at the age of 22. Die young? Not really - for its species.

　　Still don't get it? Voytek was a Syrian brown bear.
























　　二戰期間，波蘭軍隊中有一名與眾不同的小兵，名叫沃特克(#)。他閒時喜歡抽抽煙、喝喝酒，看來平常不過吧？只是和身旁戰友比起來，他明顯是大個子，昂藏六呎，體重達五百磅。你可能覺得他有點過重，但作為軍人，他絕對稱職。

　　1944年，有名的卡西諾修道院戰役，沃特克也有參戰，其時他負責運送槍砲子彈。雖然不用持槍上陣，但沿途冒槍林彈雨，路線也崎嶇難走，其艱鉅不遜酣戰。可是，沃特克從未被戰場的槍炮聲嚇得落慌而逃、也沒有把裝滿爆炸品的箱子弄跌。相反地，他徒手就能搬動過百公斤的彈藥箱，堪稱前無古人。

　　後來，軍方為了表揚沃特克完美的表現，准許其所屬第22砲運連把隊徽改動，刻上一個抱著砲彈的沃特克肖像。

　　軍旅生涯結束後，沃特克在愛丁堡動物園找到「工作」，老戰友不時來探望他，也會帶來香煙。沃特克在那裡依舊很受歡迎，幾乎每個來到動物園的人都會跟他打招呼。

　　1963年，沃特克過世了，年方22歲，有人慨嘆「英年早逝」，但以他的品種來說，其實也算壽終正寢了。

　　還不明白？沃特克是一頭敘利亞棕熊。



(#)註: 又譯「佛伊泰克」。

The White Death / 白色死神

　　
　　
















　　

　　You might have killed more than a hundred people in the game Counter-Strike or a thousand in Dynasty Warriors. Yet I bet you won't even think of killing ten enemies in a real battlefield. It is the place in where the ones who survive will be heroes.

　　In the case, Simo Häyhä should count as a "hero unexpected", as he has been such a responsible soldier who really thought of killing enemies instead of just surviving - he is the man with the highest confirmed kills in any major war of human history.

　　How many people did he kill? Answer: 505, at least.

　　What secret weapons did he get? Answer: Nothing, except a sniper rifle.

　　Simo Häyhä was active during the famous "Winter War" in early World War II. That is the war between Soviet Union and Finland in which the Soviet forces had overwhelming number of soldiers which was three times of the Finns. But it was whether God blessed Finland or Satan hated Soviet that the devil was put into the weak side.














　　On 30 Novermber, 1939, 450,000 Soviet troops invaded the border area of Finland and it led to the Winter War.

　　At the time, Simo Häyhä had served the Finnish Army for more than ten years yet he was only a corporal. For the seek of protecting their nation, this man were sent to the battlefield, killing one and the other enemy, and hundreds more soon after.

　　Soviet forces had resorted to every means to eradicate this little soldier. They sent a team of snipers in an attempt to fight back. But less than a handful of them were able to be back. They also bombed heavily the area where Simo Häyhä once appeared, saying that it was some spring ploughing preparation for the next year farming.

　　The operation was ended up with a "great success" that they blew a big hole in Simo Häyhä's clothes.

　　Finally, Häyhä was shot in head by a lucky nameless Russian soldier. He fell unconscious until a week later when peace were declared. Because of his outstanding contribution to the army, he was then promoted five stright ranks from corporal to second lieutenant.

　　There are many anecdotes about Simo Häyhä. It is said that his sniper didn't even have a telescopic sight as the sunlight glare can reveal his position.

　　Also, It's said that he liked to hide both his gun and his whole body under the snow to aid concealment. Plus he was a cool blooded killer who always dressed in white, all this earned him a nickname "White Death".





















　　或許你曾在CS遊戲裡做掉了一百個混蛋；或在《三國無奴》達成了千人斬。然而，如果你身處真正的戰場，我著你還不會想去殺十個敵人。在戰場上死不去，你就是英雄。

　　所以想來，席摩‧海耶是一個「意料之外的英雄」，只因他是個刻盡軍職殺敵如麻的軍人，而非苟且偷生的冗兵 – 綜觀人類史上所有重大戰爭，他是已確認殺敵最多的人。

　　他殺了多少個敵人？答案：最少505人。

　　他有什麼撒手鐧？答案：沒有，頂多是一枝狙擊來福槍。

　　海耶活躍於二戰初期顯赫有名的「冬季戰爭」。這場蘇聯與芬蘭的戰爭中，蘇聯軍投入的兵力足足是芬蘭的三倍，實力懸殊。惡魔卻在弱不禁風的芬蘭誕生了，這真不知是天祐芬蘭，還是撒旦看蘇聯不順眼。

　　1939年11月30日，45萬蘇聯大軍進犯芬蘭邊境，揭開了「冬季戰爭」的序幕。其時，席摩‧海耶早已投軍服役超過十年，卻只是一個官拜下士的小兵。懷著保家衛國的熱忱被派上戰場，殺完一個又一個，很快就達成了「百人斬」。

　　蘇聯軍隊為這個小卒百寶盡出、調兵遣將。試過派一群狙擊手反擊，有命歸來的屈指能數；又以火炮猛轟海耶出沒的地區，美其名為炸鬆泥地以便來年耕作。這個「春耕行動」十分「成功」，把海耶的衣服炸掉了一個大洞。

　　最後，一名蘇聯士兵終於僥倖地把海耶「一槍爆頭」，海耶昏迷了近一星期，醒來時，戰事也結束了。功勳之鉅，讓他由下士升至少尉，連升五級。

　　關於海耶的傳說還有很多，據說他用狙擊槍殺人，為防鏡面反射陽光，暴露行蹤，索性就不用瞄準鏡。也有傳他會把自己全身連槍埋在雪堆中，加上他殺人如麻和一身白色的保護裝束，就為他贏來了一個稱號，叫做「白色死神」。

First of all...

Honestly, I haven't got enough readers for a second blog.

In fact, it's a problem whether or not I have a reader.

Never mind...I just keep trying.


I would first repost some of my former articles to fill the blank pages.

GOGOGO!