Fripp was imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, the site 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 Broken Chains. Before the escape, Fripp collected packages from the Red Cross, some of which contained maps and equipment such as radio parts. While Fripp was collecting the packages, he occasionally ‘liberated’ tools such as steel files and wire cutters that were used to dig the tunnel. Fripp was transferred to another stalag two months before the escape. His pilot Casey escaped from Stalag Luft III, but was recaptured on the orders of Adolf Hitler and murdered (along with 49 other escaped prisoners).
