The Wooden Horse: The Classic World War II Story of Escape

Growing up in England during the 1950's I was exposed to many stories about life in and escapes from German POW camps during WWII, some good, others not so good. Sixty years later, I was intrigued by the synopsis of The Wooden Horse, so I downloaded and read it. It didn't immediately grab me - the description of POW camp life was a bit slow, but it gave the author (who turned what I believe was his own escape into a novel to avoid problems with the British Official Secrets Act) a chance to set the scene and develop the characters. The author and his fellow escapees dug a tunnel from underneath a wooden vaulting horse (hence the title), carrying the dirt the laboriously dug out in hand sewn bags made from old clothing and hiding it around the camp. With clothing to make themselves passable (and inconspicuous), forged travel documents, and some German currency, they managed to scramble through the tunnel and away from the camp before their absence was discovered. Their escape plan had some specific objectives, but lacked detail (specific information being hard to come by), but by good luck, ingenuity, and help along the way they made it to Sweden, where they were forced to kick their heels while the British bureaucracy took its sweet time getting them repatriated. As I said, it was a bit slow to start, but picked up and became quite interesting and suspenseful (I wasn't sure they were really going to make it), particularly after the escape itself, with what I think must be some good characterizations of what life must have been like for many poor Germans and other nationals forced to work for the Nazis under appalling conditions.

I first read this book when I was in grade school. It was making the rounds of my classmates and it predated the appearance of Brickhill's Great Escape by several years. It started a lifelong fascination with any kind of WW2 POW experience and by extension with the Battle of Britain and its participants. I never forgot the book and actually sought out an online used copy several years ago. The Kindle version has an extensive forward by the author, which I do not recall having read before. Maybe I skipped reading it, or I might have read earlier versions of the book that did not include it. In the forward, I learned that the Wooden Horse was written as a novel, based on the author's actual experience. Apparently, there was no market for an actual memoir at the time, since they were probably a dime a dozen in the immediate post-war years. The story is well written and still as fascinating as I recall from the other two times that I read it. Perhaps more so because of the extensive background information I have absorbed on the general subject over the years. One thing that stands out is how honorably the WW2 Germans apparently treated their western ally officer POWs during most of the war, compared to they way that they apparently treated everyone that came within their power in the east - POWs and conquered populations alike. As one Colditz alumnus once described it, a German POW cap was like a bad hotel compared to the way the Japanese treated their POWs.

Even though you know the eventual ending, the book is written in a very suspenseful manner. The author is an excellent writer. Found it hard to put done. It is amazing what all of these POWs did and went through.

One of my favorite movies is The Great Escape. While I was finally reading the book, there was mention of this author and his book since he was another prisoner in the camp.This book is much better written than The Great Escape. There is an explanation in the beginning of the book as to why it is listed as Fiction due to the secrecy at the time. Unlike The Great Escape, the story kept moving without one chapter looking like another.The end of the book though seemed as if the author just wanted to get done with it. I got somewhat lost as to who the people were. The last chapter was almost like he just needed to fill a few more pages.

I suppose it is never easy to write about the difficulties one has faced without smudging the edges of the reality of it all. scars that no longer bleed. passing through the drama of it all but not quite conveying all of the feelings that one experiences.I did enjoy the read and I will always be amazed at the British psyche when under such duress as a prison camp. not much emotion expressed and a very stiff upper lip through it all. not much introspection but in just the observations and inferences it read helped in my attempt to understand a part of history that I will never experience.

I like the content, however, how about updating the typeface for the 21st century and the cover is to low a stock, as you can see the cover is bending. The story is good, so I'm not commenting on that, it's just that the physical product could be better.

A great story and an amazing escape from a German concentration camp. It was impressive the way other prisoners stepped up to help in the escape efforts.

Great detail and perspective on life in a German POW camp. Imaginative, ingenious, confidential cooperation by all hands to get a few fellow prisoners out. Once out their detailed travels and adventures were interesting and once again very real. Life threatening implications to those who helped them because of Gestapo informers kept the tension high. Humor toward the end only enhanced the reality of their story

Just a classic read.

This is a great true story a real classic adventure. Read the book then see the movie

Fantastic book - fantastic film as well

A classic. For those who have seen the "Great Escape" this book is a fictionalised version of the truth for three guys who got out of Sagan before the Great Escape. The book of that is good as well, but this one really tells the story of feeling the stress of the escape...

A very thrilling story of escape from the prison during war. Equally gripping as another work of this class: The Great Escape