Hatch's footage was used to make With The Marines at Tarawa, a short film that shocked the civilian public and thereby helped galvanize support for the war effort. It marked the first time that Americans had seen such graphic footage of the fighting, the wounded, and the dead. The film won an Academy Award in 1945.
The NPR story reflects a resurgence of interest in the Pacific war, sparked in part by the current HBO 10-part miniseries, The Pacific.
I wrote about the battle of Tarawa (and the film that Hatch made possible) last November when we released Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa by Joseph H. Alexander. Alexander's book is considered the definitive account of the Tarawa landing, which was the first major Allied assault of the Pacific War and a crucial test of the then-unproven strategy of amphibious war-fighting. The title is a Playaway audio exclusive.
You can find my original post here. If you missed the NPR story, you can listen to it online. The NPR site also has the complete video of With The Marines At Tarawa as well as a brief video interview with Norman Hatch from the U.S. Naval Institute's "Americans At War" series.
The U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association sponsors a "Norman Hatch Combat Photography Award." Read their bio of the photographer here.
And by the way, the book that served as the basis of the HBO series -- Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific by Robert Leckie -- launches on Playaway
May 1, 2010.
Other Playaway titles about the Pacific war include:
Hero of the Pacific by James Brady -- the story of Marine Gunnery Sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, expertly narrated by the gifted Grover Gardner.
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, available on Playaway from Recorded Books.
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Posted by David Perrotta, MLIS
Playaway Senior Content Strategist
Twitter: david_perrotta
