Chronological Timeline of Catch-22

• 1938

• Munich agreement cedes Czechoslovakia

• 1939

• Poland invaded

• 1940

• Africa invaded

• 1941

• Yossarian in Army
• Qualifies for transfer to Air Cadet training

• 1941-1943

• Yossarian an Air Cadet at Santa Ana, California, and Lowery Field, Colorado 8
• Grand Conspiracy of Lowery Field 10
• Parades 8
• The trial of Clevinger 8

• NOVEMBER 26, 1941

• Yossarian in hospital at Lowery Field 18
• the man who sees everything twice 18

• NOVEMBER, 1942

• Allied invasion of Italy begins
• Yossarian in hotel room with Mrs. Scheisskopf 18

• 1943

• Yossarian goes overseas via Puerto Rico
• Splendid Atabrine Insurrection 10

• SEPTEMBER, 1943

• Required missions at 25
• Yossarian flies his 23rd, to Arezzo 6
• Col. Nevers killed 6
• Missions raised to 30
• Major Major becomes squadron commander 1st mentioned in 6, 9
• Milo becomes mess officer 7

• APRIL, 1944

• Beginning of M & M Enterprises
• Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade 11
• Orvieto mission
• Death of Mudd (the dead man in Yossarian’s tent) 9 (explained), 10, first mentioned in 2

• MAY, 1944

• Required missions at 35
• Development of M & M Enterprises
• Milo tries to corner Egyptian cotton 10, 22
• Ferrara mission (going over bridge twice) 6, 13
• Deaths of Kraft and Coombs 6, 13
• First soap poisoning of mess (Corporal Snark) 7
• Milo bombs squadron mentioned at end of 3, begin. of 10, details in 24
• General Peckem schemes to take over combat command
• Great Big Siege of Bologna 10, 12
• Second soap poisoning of mess (per Yossarian's request) 12
• Yossarian’s 32nd mission
• Yossarian finds and loses Luciana in Rome 16
• Missions raised to 40 16
• Yossarian goes into hospital 17

• JUNE, 1944

• Fall of Rome (June 4)
• Invasion of Normandy (June 6)
• Real, historical landing at Pianosa (June 17)
• Yossarian leaves hospital, flies six more missions
• Yossarian and Orr on leave trip with Milo
• Epidemic of moaning 21
• Avignon mission opening of 22
• Death of Snowden opening of 22
• Yossarian naked in tree at Snowden’s funeral mentioned in 21, details in 24
• Chocolate covered cotton 24
• Yossarian naked at decoration for bravery in Ferrara mission 21
• Clevinger disappears in cloud 10

• JULY, 1944

• Missions raised to 45—time of beginning of book 1
• Yossarian has 38, goes into hospital again--signing Washington Irving 1
• Yossarian leaves hospital—missions raised to 50 2

• AUGUST, 1944

• Yossarian flies four more missions—missions raised to 55 7
• Yossarian flies 51st mission 17
• Yossarian tries to punch Col. Cathcart in Officer’s Club 25
• Missions raised to 55 7
• Missions raised to 60; Paris liberated (August 25, 1944) 19, 22
• General Peckem gaining in struggle with General Dreedle

• SEPTEMBER, 1944

• Yossarian wounded over Leghorn 26
• Yossarian goes into hospital again 27—Americans pushing into Germany, 8th Army takes Rimini, Gothic Line collapsing
• Yossarian returned to combat status—flies two more missions 28
• Second Avignon mission—Orr shot down again 28
• Second Bologna mission—Orr shot down and disappears 28
• Scheisskopf joins General Peckem’s command Raid on small Italian mountain village; Germans above Florence 29
• Deaths of Kid Sampson and McWatt 30
• Missions raised to 65 30

• OCTOBER, 1944

• Missions raised to 70 31
• Yossarian gets new roommates—two months after invasion of Southern France (August 15, 1944) 32

• NOVEMBER, 1944

• Yossarian breaks Nately’s nose on Thanksgiving Day—goes into hospital to see Nately 33, 34
• Dunbar to be disappeared 34
• Yossarian has 70 missions 35
• Chief White Halfoat dies 35

• DECEMBER, 1944

• Missions raised to 80 35
• Dobbs and Nately killed on La Spezia mission 35
• General Peckem becomes wing commander under General Scheisskopf 37
• The whorehouse is emptied; Kid Sister goes missing; night journey 38, 39
• Aarfy kills a prostitute 39
• Yossarian has 71 missions, refuses to fly any more 38
• Dunbar and Major Major disappear 39
• Yossarian accepts Cathcart and Korn's deal 40
• Yossarian knifed by Nately’s whore—goes back into hospital 40
• Hungry Joe dies 40
• Yossarian changes mind and rejects deal 42
• Col. Cathcart and Ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen partners in M & M Enterprises 42
• Orr is "resurrected" 42
• Yossarian deserts—Germans driving towards Antwerp in Battle of Bulge 42

• MAY, 1945

• Germany surrenders

Taken primarily from the article “Spindrift and the Sea: Structural patterns and unifying elements in Catch-22” printed in Twentieth Century Literature Vol 19, No 4. Author        Clinton S Burhans, Jr.

Events in bold are those from history and may not match up with what Heller intends for us to know/accept. For example, Yossarian is stationed at Pianosa in the novel before it was actually captured by the Allies.