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The Wooden Horse: The Classic World War II Story of Escape
An epic adventure--the most brilliant escape and evasion from the Nazis ever written.
Eric Williams, a Royal Air Force bomber captain, was shot down over Germany in 1942 and imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, the infamous German POW camp. Digging an underground tunnel hidden beneath a wooden vaulting horse, he managed to escape after ten months and, accompanied by a fellow officer, made his way back to England. In this thinly fictionalized retelling, Williams relates his story in three distinct the construction of a tunnel (its entrance camouflaged by the wooden vaulting horse in the exercise yard) and hiding the large quantities of sand he dug; the escape; and the journey on foot and by train to the port of Stettin, where Williams and his fellow escapee stowed away aboard a Danish ship, the Norensen.
From painstakingly digging the tunnel to secretly depositing the dirt and gravel around the camp to dodging searchlights and search dogs and climbing barbed wire fences, this is an escape story hard to beat. For sheer heroism, courage, and perseverance, this classic is arguably the most ingenious POW escape of WWII. The Wooden Horse became a legend among servicemen long before its publication in 1949 and has remained one ever since.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction--novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Eric Williams, a Royal Air Force bomber captain, was shot down over Germany in 1942 and imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, the infamous German POW camp. Digging an underground tunnel hidden beneath a wooden vaulting horse, he managed to escape after ten months and, accompanied by a fellow officer, made his way back to England. In this thinly fictionalized retelling, Williams relates his story in three distinct the construction of a tunnel (its entrance camouflaged by the wooden vaulting horse in the exercise yard) and hiding the large quantities of sand he dug; the escape; and the journey on foot and by train to the port of Stettin, where Williams and his fellow escapee stowed away aboard a Danish ship, the Norensen.
From painstakingly digging the tunnel to secretly depositing the dirt and gravel around the camp to dodging searchlights and search dogs and climbing barbed wire fences, this is an escape story hard to beat. For sheer heroism, courage, and perseverance, this classic is arguably the most ingenious POW escape of WWII. The Wooden Horse became a legend among servicemen long before its publication in 1949 and has remained one ever since.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction--novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1949
201 people are currently reading
1306 people want to read
About the author
Eric Williams
30 books10 followersEric Williams, MC was a former Second World War RAF pilot and prisoner of war who wrote several books dealing with his escapes from prisoner-of-war camps.
At the end of the war, on the long sea voyage home, Williams wrote Goon In The Block, a short book based on his experiences. Four years later, in 1949, he rewrote it as a much longer third-person narrative under the title The Wooden Horse. He included many details omitted in his previous book, but changed his name to 'Peter Howard'.
At the end of the war, on the long sea voyage home, Williams wrote Goon In The Block, a short book based on his experiences. Four years later, in 1949, he rewrote it as a much longer third-person narrative under the title The Wooden Horse. He included many details omitted in his previous book, but changed his name to 'Peter Howard'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
July 26, 2015
‘Wooden Horse’ is a fictionalized narration of the true events behind one of the most ingenious and daring escape made by POWs from a German prison camp during World War II. Written by RAF Flight Lieutenant ‘Eric Williams’, who was one of the escapees this book is an absorbing narration of how perseverance, bravery and ingenuity helped the prisoners to break from a POW prison camp which was specially designed to be escape-resistant.
Eric Williams was shot down over Germany in 1942 and was initially imprisoned in the ‘Oflag XXI-B’ prisoner-of-war camp in Occupied Poland. A failed attempt at escape from that prison resulted in him being transferred to one of the most escape-proof POW camps of the time, ‘Stalag Luft III’, the Luftwaffe-run prison camp for captured airmen, in Zagan, Poland. Those readers who are familiar with the Paul Brickhill book from 1950 or the 1963 Steve McQueen smash hit movie, both titled The Great Escape will remember ‘Stalag Luft III’ as the infamous prison camp specifically designed to prevent prisoners from tunneling out of the camp with both natural and man made defensive measures.
‘Wooden Horse’ is the detailed accounts of how a bunch of prisoners beat all the odds stacked against them by punching through each of the camp’s defenses with tenacity and a genius of a plan. The book narrates these tense events separated in to three different sections. It is in the first phase of the narration that the reader gets introduced to the ‘Wooden Horse’ – a wooden vaulting horse meant for exercise with a hidden hollow inside which was made by the prisoners to camouflage the entrance of an escape tunnel, which was under construction- and this explains the title of the book.
The hollowed out wooden vaulting horse was a brilliant invention just like the real ‘Trojan Horse’ and it allowed Williams and two other officers conceal themselves while engaged in the tunneling operation and to hide the large quantities of sand, which they dug out. The second phase of the book describe their escape from the prison through the tunnel dodging search dogs, sentries and searchlights and the third phase narrates their pulse racing journey across German occupied territories engulfed in the desperations of war on foot and on train with the ever present danger of getting captured again. After some real close shaves with danger they finally manage to stow away themselves in two different ships to reach the safety of a neutral Sweden.
Though based on true events, since the book was written just after the war in 1949, the military censorship, which was still in existence over the matters, prevented the author from using the real names of the escapees and he portrays himself under the fictitious name of ‘Peter Howard’. The author’s attempt in recreating the mental attitude of the prisoners and their conversations, which reflect their contempt towards the German guards show the true doctrine which is instilled in a soldier during any war, the doctrine of “In total war one despises one’s enemy, and as a prisoner of war one’s only weapon is derision”.
‘Wooden Horse’ is a classic tale of escape and evasion, which can excite and inspire the reader and keep him glued to the book like a thriller.
Eric Williams was shot down over Germany in 1942 and was initially imprisoned in the ‘Oflag XXI-B’ prisoner-of-war camp in Occupied Poland. A failed attempt at escape from that prison resulted in him being transferred to one of the most escape-proof POW camps of the time, ‘Stalag Luft III’, the Luftwaffe-run prison camp for captured airmen, in Zagan, Poland. Those readers who are familiar with the Paul Brickhill book from 1950 or the 1963 Steve McQueen smash hit movie, both titled The Great Escape will remember ‘Stalag Luft III’ as the infamous prison camp specifically designed to prevent prisoners from tunneling out of the camp with both natural and man made defensive measures.
‘Wooden Horse’ is the detailed accounts of how a bunch of prisoners beat all the odds stacked against them by punching through each of the camp’s defenses with tenacity and a genius of a plan. The book narrates these tense events separated in to three different sections. It is in the first phase of the narration that the reader gets introduced to the ‘Wooden Horse’ – a wooden vaulting horse meant for exercise with a hidden hollow inside which was made by the prisoners to camouflage the entrance of an escape tunnel, which was under construction- and this explains the title of the book.
The hollowed out wooden vaulting horse was a brilliant invention just like the real ‘Trojan Horse’ and it allowed Williams and two other officers conceal themselves while engaged in the tunneling operation and to hide the large quantities of sand, which they dug out. The second phase of the book describe their escape from the prison through the tunnel dodging search dogs, sentries and searchlights and the third phase narrates their pulse racing journey across German occupied territories engulfed in the desperations of war on foot and on train with the ever present danger of getting captured again. After some real close shaves with danger they finally manage to stow away themselves in two different ships to reach the safety of a neutral Sweden.
Though based on true events, since the book was written just after the war in 1949, the military censorship, which was still in existence over the matters, prevented the author from using the real names of the escapees and he portrays himself under the fictitious name of ‘Peter Howard’. The author’s attempt in recreating the mental attitude of the prisoners and their conversations, which reflect their contempt towards the German guards show the true doctrine which is instilled in a soldier during any war, the doctrine of “In total war one despises one’s enemy, and as a prisoner of war one’s only weapon is derision”.
‘Wooden Horse’ is a classic tale of escape and evasion, which can excite and inspire the reader and keep him glued to the book like a thriller.
September 15, 2014
There are two significantly different versions of this book. Eric Williams' original 1949 edition was written while military censorship was still in force, and is a simpler story, built around simpler characters.
In the 1979 edition, Williams sets the records straight on (particularly) one event that was invented to make a better ending for the 1949 book. The rest of the book is significantly revised and expanded, also, and the PoWs' language becomes less "comic-book" and more (one assumes) true to life.
Read the 1979 revision if you want the actual story - the 1949 is more like a Boys' Own adventure.
In the 1979 edition, Williams sets the records straight on (particularly) one event that was invented to make a better ending for the 1949 book. The rest of the book is significantly revised and expanded, also, and the PoWs' language becomes less "comic-book" and more (one assumes) true to life.
Read the 1979 revision if you want the actual story - the 1949 is more like a Boys' Own adventure.
December 30, 2007
My first escape story from a POW camp. I loved it! The ingenuity of it all. Speaking with second world war veterans, they tell of amazing things the prisoners got up to and how they all felt it was their duty to try and escape.
October 15, 2016
Amazing story of life in a stalag and escaping from it. Hogan's Heros isn't quite as far fetched as we might think. Men can be amazing in their kindness to each other under adversity. I am so glad that I decided to read this.
February 8, 2011
A daring tale of escape from the eyes of a British soldier in a German POW camp... Told with a flowing style, underlying humor, and quick dialogue. Good Book!
May 31, 2016
One of the great escape books of all time about RAF flyers imprisoned in an infamous German POW camp during World War II.
March 27, 2018
This is an intriguing story of the hardship, challenges and horror of WW II as prisoners in a camp try to escape. The story is based on fact and is one to grab.
August 5, 2013
I read a 1959 mass market paperback edition from Berkley Books. In the introduction, it says that it's a special edition for teens.
This is a fictionalized account of an escape from a prisoner of war camp run by the Germans, written by one of the escapees. The camp is surrounded by barbed wire, and buildings inside the compound are placed on piles so that guards can see under the buildings. It's hardly a prime location for POWs to build a tunnel, but build a tunnel they do. The ingenuity of the prisoners, not just for the tunnel, but for other tasks, is inspiring. The way the men deal with each other and the indignities and dangers of their imprisonment is interesting, as are the difficulties faced by the escapees as they try to get out of German-controlled territory. The story is well written. The switch to the fictionalized format let the author insert more points of view.
I saw that a reviewer at Amazon said that later editions of the book left out a fabricated deadly encounter with a German soldier that the original publishers wanted put into the book to punch up the ending. My book is apparently an early one, because it has the incident. In my opinion, it wasn't the least bit needed. The story was interesting enough, and suspenseful enough, without it.
This is a fictionalized account of an escape from a prisoner of war camp run by the Germans, written by one of the escapees. The camp is surrounded by barbed wire, and buildings inside the compound are placed on piles so that guards can see under the buildings. It's hardly a prime location for POWs to build a tunnel, but build a tunnel they do. The ingenuity of the prisoners, not just for the tunnel, but for other tasks, is inspiring. The way the men deal with each other and the indignities and dangers of their imprisonment is interesting, as are the difficulties faced by the escapees as they try to get out of German-controlled territory. The story is well written. The switch to the fictionalized format let the author insert more points of view.
I saw that a reviewer at Amazon said that later editions of the book left out a fabricated deadly encounter with a German soldier that the original publishers wanted put into the book to punch up the ending. My book is apparently an early one, because it has the incident. In my opinion, it wasn't the least bit needed. The story was interesting enough, and suspenseful enough, without it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2017
An old friend revisited!
Great read! I first read this in the mid 1960's, and enjoyed it hugely. When I saw it, I knew that a re-read was in order. The understated British manner is captivating. Mr. Williams was a true cousin to our own greatest generation.
Great read! I first read this in the mid 1960's, and enjoyed it hugely. When I saw it, I knew that a re-read was in order. The understated British manner is captivating. Mr. Williams was a true cousin to our own greatest generation.
February 3, 2025
The Wooden Horse is a work of fiction, based on a factual event. I read the 30th anniversary edition which the author edited to be closer to the truth as he regretted some of the fictional excitement he added to the tale, particularly involving the murder of a guard. But how much of the story is 'real' I now have no clue.
It is an interesting story, though the structure is rather odd. This is explained somewhat by the author in the prologue because he couldn't clearly remember certain parts of his escape (the final part) and that really comes across in this story. We start in the prison camp, watching the excruciating progress of a very unpleasant escape tunnel. Then we follow two of the three escapers as they travel by train away from the camp to the port, where their plan falls to pieces because it is all very well to say 'escape to the port and jump on a boat for Sweden' but it turns out in practice HOW are you supposed to do that? Half the book is following these two English guys wandering aimlessly around a German port for a week, somehow not getting caught despite the fact that they keep conversing in English. It's actually an enlightening part of the story that is often skipped in escape tales. It's one thing to get outside of a prison but THEN WHAT. Once they do actually get on a boat and lose most of their agency, the story skips about in an oddly disjointed fashion and I found it difficult to follow. A few blanks have been filled in from the memories of other people involved, but these sections are so brief I'm not sure they add anything. Overall it is a fascinating read.
My only real issue with the book, and it is unfortunately a big one, is that I could not tell the characters apart. Partly because within the camp there are a lot of names mentioned and partly because most of the names are common dull British names, but perhaps at the end of the day the characters themselves just aren't that different from each other. Our main characters are Peter and John. One of them is from the army, one from the RAF, one of them speaks French and German, the other does not, one is in his twenties, the other is ten years older. But remembering which one is that and which one is not in any given scene was lost on me. I'd probably follow it all better if I reread it.
It is an interesting story, though the structure is rather odd. This is explained somewhat by the author in the prologue because he couldn't clearly remember certain parts of his escape (the final part) and that really comes across in this story. We start in the prison camp, watching the excruciating progress of a very unpleasant escape tunnel. Then we follow two of the three escapers as they travel by train away from the camp to the port, where their plan falls to pieces because it is all very well to say 'escape to the port and jump on a boat for Sweden' but it turns out in practice HOW are you supposed to do that? Half the book is following these two English guys wandering aimlessly around a German port for a week, somehow not getting caught despite the fact that they keep conversing in English. It's actually an enlightening part of the story that is often skipped in escape tales. It's one thing to get outside of a prison but THEN WHAT. Once they do actually get on a boat and lose most of their agency, the story skips about in an oddly disjointed fashion and I found it difficult to follow. A few blanks have been filled in from the memories of other people involved, but these sections are so brief I'm not sure they add anything. Overall it is a fascinating read.
My only real issue with the book, and it is unfortunately a big one, is that I could not tell the characters apart. Partly because within the camp there are a lot of names mentioned and partly because most of the names are common dull British names, but perhaps at the end of the day the characters themselves just aren't that different from each other. Our main characters are Peter and John. One of them is from the army, one from the RAF, one of them speaks French and German, the other does not, one is in his twenties, the other is ten years older. But remembering which one is that and which one is not in any given scene was lost on me. I'd probably follow it all better if I reread it.
September 8, 2025
A solid WW2 POW escape book. British prisoners in Germany dig a tunnel underneath a wood vaulting horse they had built for cover. Shows camp life and how they lived on the run after the tunnel.
Recommended moves at a nice pace, and the main characters are well done.
Recommended moves at a nice pace, and the main characters are well done.
April 29, 2025
Interesting insight into POW life.
October 14, 2017
Very gripping story. I enjoyed it.
December 13, 2016
A fascinating read on prisoner of war life and the strong need to escape; after all, that is the prisoners duty - to escape. And knowing that this is a true story made it all the more interesting to me. I love reading the survival stories of World War II. I read from a 1950 printing in which Eric Williams wrote he could now freely write of the Escape and had used a little of the material he had originally written in his 1943 book "Goon in the Block".
December 24, 2007
Very good 2 cassette audio book that I read in February 2007 even though this book was published in 1984. This is a true 2 hour story about how two English pilots were shot down, captured, imprisoned at Stalag-Luft III on December 17, 1942, and how they escaped to freedom using a very clever deception, and a lot of determination.
June 23, 2009
This book was like a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes the action zipped along quickly and others it slowly ascended towards the climax. Written about an escape from a World War Two German camp, detailing how three British officers hid the entrance to their tunnel under a wooden vaulting horse. I enjoyed this book even in the slow parts and wood recommend it to anyone who enjoys war stories.
April 9, 2015
Not really my style of book (I picked it up because it's one of my dad's favourites), but an amazing story! I guess it really is acquired taste though: Williams obsesses over the smallest details and therefore the main part of the story feels very slow at times, whereas the ending to me was very sudden and abrupt.
October 19, 2016
This is a true story about escape from a German Prisoner of War Camp by three British soldiers during WWII.. It involves the use of a Wooden Horse but quite different from the famous horse used by the Greeks at Troy. It is a good story highlighting the ingenuity of the English prisoners at the camp and the daring successful escape from the camp and return to Great Britain.
July 27, 2010
An interesting and amazing story especially knowing that it is a true story. It is the story telling and not the story that is the reason for three and not four stars, but being written as a novel instead of a non-fiction story it somehow fails to really capture me.
December 5, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I have wanted to read it for a long time and eventually I got round to doing just that. I like reading books based around the second world war and it helps when you know it really happened.
July 21, 2019
Unremarkable
The escape processes was pretty interesting. Once they got out there really was not much suspense during their flight out of Germany to home. It wasn't totally boring, but it was not compelling either.
The escape processes was pretty interesting. Once they got out there really was not much suspense during their flight out of Germany to home. It wasn't totally boring, but it was not compelling either.
August 2, 2015
Duty
Honor
Country
Courage
Friendship
Dedication
Perseverance
I could go on.
This book encompasses all of the above and more. A great tale , well told by the author. This story grips your attention while reading and it won't let go.
Excellent.
Honor
Country
Courage
Friendship
Dedication
Perseverance
I could go on.
This book encompasses all of the above and more. A great tale , well told by the author. This story grips your attention while reading and it won't let go.
Excellent.
February 18, 2016
Novelization of a true WWII escape story. Three British prisoners use a vault horse with a false bottom to dig a tunnel under the wire. It was a clever plan that worked and two of the prisoners were able to escape all the way back to England.
March 23, 2016
I was engrossed from the first chapter. I could not imagine being in the position of being a POW. These men not only escaped but made it home. I felt for them at every moment of their journey and felt immense joy that all three escapees made it home.
September 15, 2016
Read ages ago and need to re read. During the digging of the tunnels in Stalag Luft III (the Great Escape), some prisoners came up with an ingenious invention to fool the Germans and shorten a tunnel by hundreds of yards. Amazing story and written extremely well
February 28, 2017
A Journey back to my youth.
I first read this book as a teenager in the early 1950's. I later saw the movie. Both experiences were first class. Thank you Bookbub for finding and releasing the book electronically so that I could relive the prisoners experience once more.
I first read this book as a teenager in the early 1950's. I later saw the movie. Both experiences were first class. Thank you Bookbub for finding and releasing the book electronically so that I could relive the prisoners experience once more.
May 20, 2017
The rest is over
A never ending source of fear and danger from the German Army spurs two American Officers to circumvent the prison camp rules and regulations to work endlessly on escape. I really liked this book.
A never ending source of fear and danger from the German Army spurs two American Officers to circumvent the prison camp rules and regulations to work endlessly on escape. I really liked this book.
September 10, 2017
Captivating
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes reading about the resilience of people in any circumstance. I was absorbed in this book from the first page to the last. I was a teen during Vietnam and there are still so many of our guys unaccounted for.....
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes reading about the resilience of people in any circumstance. I was absorbed in this book from the first page to the last. I was a teen during Vietnam and there are still so many of our guys unaccounted for.....
April 8, 2008
Another well written book about a fantastic adventure. An excellent shelf-mate to "The Great Escape".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews