The True Story of Catch-22 Illustrated Edition

Millions of people worldwide have relished the uniqueness of Catch-22, one of the great novels of literary fiction. Few, however, are aware of how heavily author Joseph Heller relied on his real-life experiences as a bombardier flying in B-25's during World War ll. Here is the final piece of the puzzle that is Catch-22.In this book written by the daughter of the 340th Bomb Group's last commander, Colonel Willis F. Chapman, famously lampooned as Colonel Cathcart in Catch-22, we finally...
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Millions of people worldwide have relished the uniqueness of Catch-22, one of the great novels of literary fiction. Few, however, are aware of how heavily author Joseph Heller relied on his real-life experiences as a bombardier flying in B-25's during World War ll. Here is the final piece of the puzzle that is Catch-22.In this book written by the daughter of the 340th Bomb Group's last commander, Colonel Willis F. Chapman, famously lampooned as Colonel Cathcart in Catch-22, we finally encounter the real men and combat missions on which the novel was based. Here readers will meet the actual individuals who served as inspiration for some of the most memorable fictional characters in literature.After the publication of his bestselling novel Heller usually chose to deny that any of his richly drawn characters were based on his actual war mates. However, to those who served with Heller in that group, the novels characters were highly recognizable - the hard-drinking, and vengeful Chief White Half Oat, young sliced-in-half Kid Sampson, shrieking Hungry Joe, General Dreedle, Yossarian, and that capitalist supreme, Milo Minderbinder, among others. While Heller's fully developed characters stand solidly on their own merits, The True Story, proves that any resemblance to persons living or dead is, in fact, actual.This exceptionally illustrated book blends fact, fancy, and history with rare previously unpublished photos of these daring USAAF flyers and their Corsican-based B-25 Mitchell bombers. Along with descriptions of the 340th's real wartime events plus an introduction written by Scott Carpenter, NASA astronaut, the work includes twelve men of the Bomb Group relating richly told tales of their own.Also included is unparalleled film footage recently discovered deep in the recesses of the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and untouched since 1945. By astonishing coincidence, who were to appear in this documentary but Joseph Heller and Colonel Chapman.A crack in a parallel universe began to open as footage showed Colonel Chapman stepping forward and extending a welcoming hand to Lt. Joseph Heller, both sporting grins. Colonel Chapman greets Lt. Heller. Colonel Cathcart greets Yossarian. Here it began.