After publication of Catch-22, Joseph Heller chose to deny that his richly drawn characters were based on his World War II mates; however, to those who served with him in the 340th Bomb Group, the novel's characters were indeed recognizable — the hard-drinking, vengeful, and disillusioned Chief White Halfoat, cleaved-in-half Kid Sampson, shrieking Hungry Joe, and a slew of others. While Heller's characters stand solidly on their own merits, The True Story of Catch-22, written by the daughter of the 340th's final commander who was the seed for Colonel Cathcart, proves that any resemblance to persons living or dead is, in fact, actual. This edition is enriched by the inclusion of a bold center section of full-color illustrations of Catch-22's fictitious characters contrasting wih 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.
