Originally Posted by
Jim Tarleton
Julian Hatcher worked in ordnance almost his entire career. He was in no position (rank wise) until 1940 to take credit for anything. He may have recommended "gas relief holes" be drilled in 1903's in 1936, but he was in no position to see that it got accomplished. An order to modify every rifle in the Army by drilling a hole in it surely came from one of the Ordnance Boards, and if Hatcher recommended it, it would be "Hatcher's Hole", along with all the blame if it failed.
If you are trying to locate a document that indicates Hatcher believed he deserved credit for the idea, I wish you luck. A man who graduates with Honors from the Naval Academy and then goes into Army Ordnance doesn't sound self-centered to me. Someone under Hatcher may have had the original idea, but not be in the position to recommend same. If I was some lowly officer that came up with a battleplan for trashing the Afgans, and it worked, it would forever be referred to as "(insert commanding officer's name)'s Battleplan"!
Jim