� � � When war was declared Hatch decided to put his training as a pilot to use and joined the Army Air Corps but the overabundant number of aviation cadets kept him from being called to duty until 1942. This was the first of many delays in his career. Just days before his motor skills testing he broke two fingers in a football game and was forced to wait until the hand healed before he could join cadet training. On his first day of Primary flight training he was diagnosed with a hernia and the surgery set him back several more classes. After recovery from the surgery he then contacted chicken-pox from his two-year old son and again had to wait to begin aviation cadet training. By the time he graduated from training at Williams Field in Chandler, Arizona, in December of 1943, was assigned to the 71st. Fighter Squadron/1st. Fighter Group and was shipped to Foggia, Italy, he had celebrated his 26th. birthday. Four years the elder of the squadron C.O.,he was oldest pilot on the Group's roster.

� � � The 1st.FG's aerial activity grew as the weather improved in the spring of 1944. On 6 May, 1944 Hatch scored a half-probable victory against an Me-109 over Romania. On 18 May the Group received it's second Presidential Unit Citation for a mission against the Ploesti Romano-Americano Oil refinery, however additional missions against this target were necessary.

� � � On 10 June, 1944 another attack on Ploesti began. The 82nd. FG's P-38s were used as fighter-bombers in a low level surprise attack while the three squadrons of the 1st. FG provided escort. The two fighter groups met over Manfredonia at aprox. 1,500 feet, passed over the Adriatic Sea and Yugoslavia at as low an altitude as possible, given the mountainous terrain beneath them. Along the way a large number of the combined group's P-38s were forced to make early returns to base and by the time the remaining aircraft passed over the Danube River there were only 36 fighters from the 82nd. and 39 1st.FG as escorts. The 82nd.FG began their climb to bombing altitude, but within a few minutes the 71st.FS blue flight found themselves seperated from the other three flights and were thrust into a melee with Romanian IAR 80's, a single engined aircraft that bore a striking resemblance to the Focke-Wulf Fw-190. Within minutes the 71st.FS, who were at a severe disadvantage, lost eight pilots and a ninth would go down while atempting to return to base.

� � � Lt. Hatch, flying his 27th.mission and his first as an element leader led Cragmore Green Flight into the action. He opened fire on an attacking IAR-80 (he believed it to be an Fw-190 at the time) that pulled across in front of him and shot it down. Looking to his right he saw a number of enemy aircraft headed at him, so he turned to meet them head-on and opened fire on the lead aircraft of that group. It caught fire and passed him on the left, eventually crashing to the ground below. He continued his right turn and spotted another IAR-80 preparing to attack one of his tentmates, Joe Jackson. He was too late, as Jackson's P-38 caught fire and went in. Hatch managed to get a burst of fire into the attacking aircraft's cockpit and it too plummeted downward.

� � � Having deployed his combat flaps during the turn Hatch found himself going quite slowly. He turned another 90 degrees and saw another P-38 coming head-on at him with a IAR-80 on it's tail. The P-38 passed over him by about 75 feet, he pulled the nose of his plane up and opened fire on the enemy plane, downing it as well. Hatch had to dive to keep the IAR-80 from colliding with him as it went down and part of the enemy plane's right wing actually knocked aprox. three inches off the top of his P-38's left rudder.

� � � Three more enemy aircraft began making a pass at him from the left. Turning so fast that he lost his wingman, Hatch opened fire but missed them. He saw another three IAR-80s diving at another P-38 and he snap-shot at the leader from about a ninety degree deflection, scoring hits on the left wing and shredding the aileron. The enemy aircraft winged over and smashed into the ground from a very low altitude. He shot at the second aircraft but could not confirm whether it went down as well. Another aircraft attacked him from the right and somehow missed Hatch's P-38. He turned to get on this plane's tail and saw an additonal enemy plane, which he quickly closed in on. He opened fire but his guns only fired about ten rounds before quitting. He was out of ammunition.

� � � 600 miles from home base and out of ammunition, Hatch began looking for additional P-38s to join up with. He found one just as his wingman, Joe Morrison, called for help over the radio. Hatch and the second P-38 turned to find Morrison at about 200 feet, his plane riddled with bullet holes and flying on one engine. The three Lightnings tucked in tightly and began to head west. A few minutes alter an additional Lightning joined them and they sheperded Morrison's P-38 towards home. Over Yugoslavia six Me-109s were spotted and while Morrison dove for the groundHatch and the second P-38 turned towards the enemy despite both being out of ammunition. The Me-109s continued towards them and Hatch dove for the undercast below, hoping that the terrian beneath was not mountainous. He came out of the undercast into a valley and began looking for the other three Lightnings. His fuel low and out of ammunition he was forced to continue on towards Foggia and was the first pilot from the 71st.FS to land. He had been in the air a total of six hours and fifty-five minutes. Later that night his wingman, Joe Morrison arrived at the base by truck, having crash-landed his plane near Bari.

� � � Hatch was credited with five confirmed victories, one probable and one damaged during the mission, which made him an ace in a day. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions that day. The total cost of the mission was high, however. The 1st.FG lost a total of 14 P-38s and most of the pilots while the 82nd.FG lost nine. This has been called "the worst day in the history of the 71st. Fighter Squadron."

� � � While the 15th. AF continued to make raids against Ploesti there was never another low-level dive-bombing mission such as this again. The 1st.FG did continue to fly escort missions to the area on an almost daily basis as the weather coninued to improve. Hatch saw action against enemy aircraft on two more occassions, both time managing to damage his attackers.

� � � In October of 1944 Hatch returned to the ZOI, having flown a total of 60 combat missions. After a war bond tour he was assigned to Kingman, Arizona. He requested later to be transfered to a job as a target pilot for the new frangible-bullets program. He flew modified P-63 Kingcobras that were shot at by student bomber gunners using ceramic bullet ammunition. On 24 July, 1945 Hatch left the service and purchased his own Chevrolet dealership in California.