Here is the authoritative companion to Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, written by the daughter of the 340^th Bomb Group’s final commander who was the seed for Colonel Cathcart in Catch-22. In rich and vibrant color, the full-blown illustrated characters of the original novel surge forward to face their true-life counterparts in the manner of Catch-22, sometimes irreverent, sly, subtle, and always funny.

This edition is enriched by the inclusion of a bold center section of full-color illustrations of Catch-22's fictitious characters contrasting with their true-life, wartime counterparts. Also introduced are films, untouched since World War II ended, that were discovered recently deep in the National Archives. From this footage, copious, never-before-published stills are here extracted of the 340th Bomb Group. Astonishingly, they contain substantial, rare, and touching appearances by Joseph Heller - warrior before writer.

Foreword by Scott Carpenter

Introduction

PART I: GEORGE, JOSEPH HELLER, AND “THE BEST DAMNED BOMB GROUP THERE IS”

1: George: Unwitting Ancestor of Captain Wren

2: Joe: Who Shares the Same DNA as Yossarian

3: The Mission: The Common Denominator

4: Bill, Solid: Colonel Cathcart, Splintered

5: Bob: From Neighbors Orville and Wilbur, to Catch-22’s General Dreedle

6: George: Again

PART II: MEET THE HEROES

PART III: THE 340TH BOMB GROUP SPEAKS: TWELVE TRUE TALES

7: Paul Gale Speaks: Vesuvius Speaks—We Listen

8: Ward Laiten Speaks: I am 7-K

9: Herb Barclay Speaks: Chaff over the Target

10: Frank B. Dean Speaks: We Lose the Question Mark

11: R.M. Johnson Speaks: Short Snorter

12: Beryl Graubaugh Speaks: Doc Figures in One of My Favorite War Stories

13: Ben Kanowsky Speaks: Charlie

14: Hal Lynch Speaks: The Bridge at Parma

15: John Rapp Speaks: Petrified with Fear

16: David Mershon Speaks: The Saga of 7-F, Willie

17: Frank B. Dean Speaks: A Lady Leaves the 310th

18: Olen Berry Speaks: Briefing Time

Interesting Facts

Afterword

Appendix A: George’s Mission Book

Appendix B: Training During Combat

Appendix C: Discovery! A film – rare, priceless, and forgotten

Endnotes