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The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing
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The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing Hardcover - 2016

by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver


From the publisher

"He had decided to live forever, or die in the attempt." -- Catch-22 The men of the 57th Bomb Wing flew out of Corsica during World War II and bombed vital bridges throughout Italy to sabotage German supply routes. Their missions were dangerous and never-ending. One bombardier in the wing was a young New Yorker named Joseph Heller, who would later turn his experience into the classic 1961 war novel Catch-22. Now aviation historian Thomas McKelvey Cleaver takes a closer look at the real-life men of the 57th, whose camaraderie in the face of death inspired the raucous cast of heroes and antiheros in Catch-22.

From the jacket flap

The true story behind Catch-22 Joseph Heller's classic novel turns on the impossible dilemma that trapped the World War II aviators flying bombing missions over Europe: Anyone would be crazy to keep defying enemy guns and deadly flak day after day. But if you asked to be grounded you were obviously sane, and so you had to keep flying. Thus Joseph Heller and his fellow aviators were forced to pile suicide mission on top of suicide mission--as the number of total required flights was continually upped, and the promised release back home receded perpetually into the future. Now, veteran aviation historian Thomas McKelvey Cleaver exposes the true story behind the iconic novel, digging into contemporary letters, war diaries, and other hitherto-unseen primary sources from the unit Joseph Heller himself flew with. In his fresh research, Cleaver uncovered the gripping stories of young men who daily challenged death in their fragile flying machines--and the missing explanation of how Heller himself escaped from the nightmare that his fellow airmen remained mired in. The Bridgebusters reveals: How an entire crew that had racked up 70 missions and been awarded the promised orders to return home was forced to fly one last time--to their deaths
The many ways to die in the air: flak hits, fuel fires, faulty parachutes, mangled landing gear
How shot-down aviators managed to survive in hostile territory
How one courageous pilot handled orders to drop his bombs on friendly Italian civilians
Why "road block" missions were so hated by the crews of the Mitchell Bombers
Why Joseph Heller was sent home with a total of only 60 missions under his belt--when the required number was 70
Why Heller was "the angriest guy I ever knew," according to a screenwriter who collaborated with him on the Catch-22 movie Cleaver's electrifying account of the daring exploits of American aircrews--and the moral dilemmas they faced--is not to be missed.

Details

  • Title The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing
  • Author Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition Complete Numbers
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Regnery History
  • Date 2016-05
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781621574880 / 1621574881
  • Weight 1.1 lbs (0.50 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 in (23.11 x 15.49 x 3.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1940's
    • Cultural Region: Italy
  • Library of Congress subjects United States, World War, 1939-1945 - Aerial operations,
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2016013722
  • Dewey Decimal Code 940.544

About the author

Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, screenwriter and military historian, is a contributing editor of Flight Journal and the author of Aces of the 78th Fighter Group, Air Combat Annals, and Fabled Fifteen: The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.
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The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing
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The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing

by Cleaver, Thomas McKelvey

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The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing

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The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing

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BridgeBusters : The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing

BridgeBusters : The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing

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by Cleaver, Thomas McKelvey

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