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The True Story of Catch-22
The Real Men and Missions of Joseph Heller's 340th Bomb Group in World War II
1 of 1 copy available
After the publication of his bestselling novel Catch-22, Joseph 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 the 340th Bomb Group, the novel’s characters were indeed recognizable—the hard-drinking, vengeful, and disillusioned Chief White Halfoat; young, sliced-in-half Kid Sampson; shrieking, frenzied Hungry Joe; Col. Cathcart; Gen. Dreedle; Yossarian; and that capitalist supreme, Milo Minderbinder.
In this book, written and colorfully illustrated by the daughter of the 340th Bomb Group’s commander, Col. Willis Chapman, we finally encounter the real men and combat missions on which the novel was based. While Heller’s fully developed characters stand solely, solidly, and uniquely on their own merits, The True Story of Catch-22 proves that any resemblance to persons living or dead is, in fact, actual.
This three-part book blends fact, fancy, and history with full-blown original illustrations and rare, previously unpublished photos of these daring USAAF flyers and their Corsica-based B-25 Mitchell. Along with descriptions of the 340th’s real wartime experiences, the work includes twelve men of the Bomb Group relating richly told tales of their own.
“In these pages it is a great pleasure to finally see the real story behind the fictionalized account, and to be even more impressed.” —Scott Carpenter, NASA astronaut
“Heller’s satiric caricatures are here shown to have stemmed from patriotic, courageous, highly decorated airmen who daily performed heroic wartime feats against overwhelming obstacles.” —Library Journal
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 21, 2012 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781612001159
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781612001159
- File size: 22003 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 15, 2012
Meder's father, Colonel Willis F. Chapman, the 340th Bomb Group's commander, was the model for Colonel Cathcart in Joseph Heller's Catch-22. Using her father's papers, interviews with bomb group members, and correspondence with Heller himself, she reveals the actual individuals and events behind Heller's antiwar novel. She juxtaposes passages from the novel with comments made by those involved in the real events to demonstrate the extent to which Heller transmuted fact into fiction. Heller's satiric caricatures are here shown to have stemmed from patriotic, courageous, highly decorated airmen who daily performed heroic wartime feats against overwhelming obstacles. The log of George Wells (Captain Wren in Catch-22), who flew a record 102 missions in his B-25, is included in an appendix. VERDICT Less concerned with Heller's novel than with the history behind it, Meder's book will appeal more to readers of military history than to literary fans of Catch-22, who can follow Heller's war years in his autobiography, Now and Then: From Coney Island to Here or in Tracy Daugherty's biography, Just One Catch.--WG
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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