William Albert Hatcher Jr. was born on May 30, 1910, in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan. He was the son of William Albert "Burt" Hatcher and Amelia Martha Von Sick Hatcher. He was married to Aileen Newcomb Hatcher. He graduated from Northern High School before joining the Air Corps as a flying cadet in February 1933, earning his pilot’s commission in 1935. Rising to lieutenant colonel, Hatcher took command of the 351st Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force on November 24, 1942, and led the group’s air echelon to England in April 1943.
Hatcher flew at least 11 missions in 1943, including a critical raid on Schweinfurt for which he received the Silver Star for “courage, skill, and superb leadership”. On December 31, 1943, during a mission to Cognac, France, his B‑17 #42-37731 was struck by flak and fighters, forcing a crash near Royan. Captured in the wreckage, he endured imprisonment in Stalag Luft I, III, and VIIA until liberated on April 29, 1945.
After the war, Hatcher remained in the Air Forces until January 27, 1947, when he tragically perished in a B‑29 crash shortly after takeoff from Kirtland Field, New Mexico. He is now buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA.
Source of information: www.wikitree.com, www.americanairmuseum.com