David M . Jones David M . Jones ( December 18 , 1913 – November 25 , 2008 ) was a United States Air Force pilot who served with distinction during World War II . He was one of the Doolittle Raid ers whose exploits in April 1942 were dramatized in the film " Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo " . He then flew combat missions over North Africa , where he was shot down . He was a German prisoner of war for two and a half years — helping with the escape attempt described in the book " Great Escape " , which was later the subject of a Hollywood film . The character Virgil Hilts , played by Steve McQueen on the 1963 film was based on Jones . In his last assignment with the Air Force , Jones was the commander of the Air Force Eastern Test Range in Cape Kennedy , Florida as well as the Department of Defense Manager for Manned Space Flight Support Operations . He retired from the Air Force after 37 years of distinguished service . Early years ; education . David Mudgett Jones was born on December 18 , 1913 in Marshfield , Oregon , the son of David Arthur ( Dade ) Jones and Grace Mudgett . His father Dade Jones , the son of Welsh immigrants , homesteaded land in Meadow Lake Township , North Dakota in 1896 before marrying Grace and moving to Oregon . David Jones enlisted in the Arizona National Guard while he was attending the University of Arizona at Tucson , from 1932 to 1936 . His later education included three major Armed Forces schools : Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , 1946 ; Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk , Virginia , 1948 ; and the National War College in Washington , D . C . , 1956 . Jones was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U . S . Cavalry arm of the Arizona Army National Guard , where he served one year of active duty before transferring to the Army Air Corps and entering pilot training in June 1937 . After completing his training in June 1938 , he served as a pilot with the 17th Attack Group and then with the 95th Bombardment Squadron . World War II . Doolittle Raid . In early 1942 , Jones volunteered for the Doolittle Project — a secret bombing raid to be launched on Japan in retaliation for the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor . During the training phase of this project , he flew the initial evaluation flights on the specially equipped B - 25 aircraft . On April 18 , 1942 , the Doolittle Raid launched from the United States Navy carrier USS " Hornet " , dropping their bombs on Tokyo and four other Japanese cities . This raid was the first good news that the Americans had from the Pacific front . Lacking the fuel to make a safe landing after the raid , Jones bailed out over China , where he was assisted by the Chinese people in returning to the United States . He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his participation as a flight commander in the planning , training and completion of the mission . North Africa , prisoner of war , and " The Great Escape " . In September 1942 , Jones was assigned as commander of the 319th Bombardment Group in North Africa . He was assigned to develop low - level bombing tactics and techniques due to his experience with the Doolittle project and his belief in low - level bombing tactics . On December 4 , 1942 , he was shot down over Bizerte , North Africa , and spent two and a half years as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III . As a result of his constant agitation and harassment of the enemy , he was selected for the " escape committee " by fellow prisoners . The committee reviewed escape plans and directed escapes . Jones led the digging team on tunnel " Harry " used in the " Great Escape " , chronicled in the Paul Brickhill ' s autobiographical book , and immortalized in the 1963 film starring Steve McQueen . After his liberation in April 1945 , Jones was commended for leadership among his fellow prisoners . Post - World War II . In July 1946 , Jones was assigned as an air inspector at Headquarters Air Training Command . He followed this with attendance at the Armed Forces Staff College , which he completed in 1948 . He then served as Director of War Plans at the Tactical Air Command Headquarters , followed by an assignment as Director of Combat Operations for the Ninth Air Force ; then as Commander of the 47th Bombardment Group , until February 1952 . He was then the commander of the 47th Bombardment Wing ( a jet - bomber wing ) at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and in Sculthorpe , England until July 1955 . Test pilot . Jones began working in research and development in 1956 when he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for the Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida . His experience in bombardment - type aircraft and previous command staff assignments in research and development resulted in his being selected director of the B - 58 Test Force , organized in February 1958 at Carswell Air Force Base , Texas . The B - 58 Hustler was the first operational jet bomber capable of Mach 2 supersonic flight . During this time , Jones continued to maintain his flight status in the B - 58 , TF - 102 , and T - 33 aircraft ; participating in design speed dashes , low - level penetrations , night , weather , formation and inflight refueling missions . He had more supersonic time testing the B - 58 than any senior U . S . Air Force pilot . In September 1960 , he became vice commander of the Wright Air Development Division at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio . In October 1961 , he was named program manager of the GAM - 87 " Skybolt " at Aeronautical Systems Division . When that project was cancelled , he became ASD deputy for systems management and later vice commander . In August 1964 , he became deputy chief of staff for systems at Headquarters Air Force Systems Command at Andrews Air Force Base , Maryland , which had responsibility for research , development , and weapon system acquisition . NASA . In December 1964 , Jones became Deputy Assistant Administrator for Manned Space Flight with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) . In July 1965 , he was given responsibility for development of the S - IVB Orbital Workshop and spent - stage experiment support module ( SSESM ) — a concept of " in - orbit " conversion of a spent S - IVB stage to a shelter . In August 1965 , he took on the additional duties as of the Saturn / Apollo Applications ( SAA ) Acting Director . Then , in May 1967 , he assumed duties as commander of the Air Force Eastern Test Range , Cape Kennedy , Florida . Retirement ; death . Jones retired at the rank of major general on May 31 , 1973 . He was one of five Doolittle raiders who later became general s ; the others are James H . Doolittle , John A . Hilger , Everett W . Holstrom , and Richard A . Knobloch . Jones died on November 25 , 2008 , at age 94 , at his home in Tucson , Arizona . He was preceded in death by his first wife Anita Maddox Jones , and survived by his wife Janna - Neen Johnson - Dingell - Cunningham - Jones , daughter ( Jere Jones Yeager ) , two sons ( David Jones and Jim Jones ) and a stepdaughter ( Ann - Eve Grace Dingell - Cunningham ) . At the time of his death , out of the eighty men who participated in the Doolittle Raid , there were ten survivors . Awards and decorations . Major General Jones ' military decorations and awards include :