https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_(bear)

Wojtek (1942 – 2 December 1963; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjtɛk]; in English sometimes phonetically spelled Voytek) was a Syrian brown bear[1][2] who was given to Polish soldiers as a gift by an Iranian shepherd near Hamedan, Iran, during World War II and was adopted by soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps,[3] whom Wojtek accompanied to Italy, serving with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company.

In 1944, during the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek imitated his human comrades, carrying ammunition crates. He was promoted from private to corporal and became a celebrity with visiting Allied generals and statesmen.[3] After the war he was mustered out of the Polish Army and lived out the rest of his life in Scotland at the Edinburgh Zoo.

So the bear companion that appears in Scythe and Iron Harvest was named after Wojtek.