Norman Hatch

Norman Thomas Hatch (March 2, 1921 – April 22, 2017) was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who filmed much of the combat footage used in the documentary film With the Marines at Tarawa.^[2]

Major Norman Thomas Hatch
Norman Hatch at the Marine Corps War Memorial following a flag raising ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima (February 23, 2009)
Born	(1921-03-02)March 2, 1921 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	April 2, 2017(2017-04-02) (aged 96) Alexandria, Virginia
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery[1]
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1939–1946
Rank	Major
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Tarawa
Other work	U.S. Department of Defense (1946–1980)

Early life

Hatch was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in nearby Gloucester.^[2][3]

Military service

Hatch (center) photographing the action during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943

In 1939, Hatch joined the Marine Corps. Some of his cine films are now online; see External Links (below).

In November 1943, he was part of the Battle of Tarawa, and waded ashore with other Marines. Hatch used a Bell & Howell Eyemo to film the invasion and the ensuing combat.^[4]

Civilian career

After the war, Hatch worked for the U.S. Department of Defense as a civilian from 1946 until 1980. He later opened and ran a photo agency, Photo Press International, for 21 years.

References

1. Laubach, Dean (August 24, 2017). "A Hero's Farewell: Norm Hatch laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery". Alexandria Gazette Packet. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
2. Schudel, Matt (April 26, 2017). "Norman Hatch, Marine who captured heroism and horror on film, dies at 96". Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
3. Bowman, Tom (March 21, 2010). "WWII Combat Cameraman: 'The Public Had To Know'". NPR. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
4. "Washington Journal: Victory Over Japan Anniversary". C-SPAN. August 15, 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2019.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Norman Hatch at IMDb
• Norman Hatch oral history, Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center
• Norman Hatch oral history, The National WWII Museum

Norman Hatch: cine films and photos from New Zealand, 1943

• "US Marines arrive in Auckland (moving image, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 2023.
• "US Marine Camp Mackay, Paekakariki (photo, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.
• "US Marine Camp Mackay, Paekakariki (photo, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.
• "US Marines; landing exercise, Paekakariki (movie film, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.
• "US Marines; landing exercise, Paekakariki (movie film, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.
• "US Marines; Trucks and LVTA's, Paekakariki Beach (movie film, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.
• "US Marines; ships leaving Wellington for Tarawa (photo, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.
• "US Marines; Leaving Wellington for Guadancanal (photo, 1943)". Nga Taonga (NZ). 1943.