[2] The film depicts the true events of an escape attempt made by POWs in the German prison camp Stalag Luft III.

In the book and film the escapees are renamed Flight Lieutenant Peter Howard, Captain John Clinton and Philip Rowe.

Recruiting fellow prisoners to form a team of vaulters, each day they carry the horse out to the same spot, with a man hidden inside.

Some details from Williams' book were not used in the film, e.g. the escaped POWs discussing the possibility of visiting potentially neutral brothels in Germany, an idea that was abandoned because of the fear that it might be a trap.

[7] According to Filmink "he is clearly meant to be "the cute one" of the trio, spending a considerable amount of the film’s running time walking around in shorts bare-chested.

"[12] The actor Peter Butterworth, who had been a prisoner in Stalag Luft III during the Second World War, and auditioned for a part in the film but the producers said he didn't look convincing enough.

Producer Ian Dalrymple made the movie for Alexander Korda's British Lion after a long association with the Rank Organisation.

"[13] Variety said "a commendable degree, of documentary fidelity has been established in this picturization of the escape of three prisoners of war from a German camp* The long and torturous period of preparation is faithfully recaptured.

Inevitably, treatment rules out a fast-moving production, and although this won’t harm it as a boxoffice attraction at home, it may have a limiting appeal when it eventually reaches the US.

[15] According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winners' at the box office in 1950 Britain were The Blue Lamp, The Happiest Days of Your Life, Annie Get Your Gun, The Wooden Horse, Treasure Island and Odette, with "runners up" being Stage Fright, White Heat, They Were Not Divided, Trio, Morning Departure, Destination Moon, Sands of Iwo Jima, Little Women, The Forsythe Saga, Father of the Bride, Neptune's Daughter, The Dancing Years, The Red Light, Rogues of Sherwood Forest, Fancy Pants, Copper Canyon, State Secret, The Cure for Love, My Foolish Heart, Stromboli, Cheaper by the Dozen, Pinky, Three Came Home, Broken Arrow and Black Rose.

In Oliver Philpot's later book, The Stolen Journey, the author made it clear that he initially thought the plan was "crackers", telling its inventors "I give it a couple of days!"

[18] However it has been argued that Flt Lt Dominic Bruce (the 'Medium Sized man') and Squadron Leader Peter Tunstall were the original innovators of the wooden-horse-escape technique.

When Bruce and Tunstall noted the slow process they began examining the rest of the castle and left the digging to the other team involving Sammy Hoare.

[49] When the guards found the shaft they held an Appell and Hauptmann Schmidt confidently stated to the prisoners, "It is impossible to escape by tunnel or any other way."