The Wooden Horse

The Wooden Horse is a 1950 2nd World War film starring Leo Genn, Anthony Steel and David Tomlinson. It is based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams.

Related Topics:
1950 - 2nd World War - Leo Genn

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This true story, which few writers of fiction would have dared to try and get away with, is set in Stalag Luft III, the same POW camp where the 'real' Great Escape took place. The prisoners were faced with the problem of the accommodation huts being some distance from the perimeter fence. They came up with an ingenious way of digging a tunnel with its entrance located in the middle of an open area relatively near the perimeter fence and using a Vaulting Horse (constructed from bed-boards, with enclosed sides) to cover the entrance. Each day they carried the horse out to the same spot, with two men hidden inside. While a large group of men exercised using the horse, the two men dug the tunnel. At the end of the day they would conceal the tunnel entrance and hide inside the horse while it was carried back to their hut. They also had to devise a method of disposing of the earth coming out of the tunnel.

Related Topics:
Stalag Luft III - POW - Great Escape - Vaulting Horse

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Three men who did manage to escape made it to neutral Sweden.

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The film was shot in a low-key style, fairly soon after the war, with a limited budget and a cast including many amateur actors. It tended to establish the important genre of British prisoner of war escape films. Some details were cut from Eric Williams' book, e.g. where the escaped POWs discussed looking forward to visiting "whorehouses" in Sweden.

Related Topics:
British - Prisoner of war

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