The Wooden Horse The Wooden Horse The Wooden Horse is a 1950 British Second World War war film starring Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel. It was directed by Jack Lee. It is based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams, who also wrote the screenplay. The film depicts the true events of an escape attempt made by POWs in the German prison camp Stalag Luft III. The wooden horse in the title of the film is a piece of exercise equipment the prisoners use to conceal their escape attempt as well as a reference to the Trojan Horse
Alfie Fripp of an escape attempt by an international group of prisoners of war in March 1944. A fictionalised version of the escape was depicted in the 1963 film, "The Great Escape". Before the escape, Fripp collected parcels from the Red Cross, some of which contained maps and equipment such as radio parts. While Fripp was collecting the parcels, he occasionally "liberated" tools, such as steel files and wire cutters, which were used to dig the tunnel. Fripp was moved to another stalag two months before the escape. His pilot, Casey, escaped from Stalag Luft III, but he was recaptured and murdered