About the Author

Aviation

Three of Schrader’s aviaton titles have reached Best-Selling status on amazon, including #1 in Military Aviation.

Schrader’s first published work in the English language was a comparative study of women pilots in WWII (Sisters in Arms: The Women who Flew in World War Two). This was followed by a comprehensive history of the Berlin Airlift (The Blockade Breakers: The Berlin Airlift). Her aviation novels include a novel on the Battle of Britain (Where Eagles Never Flew), and a novel examining the stress of flying for Bomber Command (Moral Fibre). Battle of Britain RAF fighter ace Wing Commander Bob Doe called Where Eagles Never Flew “the best book on the life of us fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain that I have ever seen.” Moral Fibre was hailed by the Foreign Service Journal as a “tribute to those who fought for freedom.”

Schrader’s highly acclaimed Bridge to Tomorrow Series depicts in three parts the Russian blockade of Berlin 1948-1949, which triggered the most massive airlift in aviation history. The trilogy conveys the high drama of this crisis in which the ideologies and interests of Americans, British, Germans and Russians clashed. It brings to life the men and women who overcame unprecedented challenges to undertake a humanitarian mission — and succeeded in delivering the most spectacular logistical achievement of the 20th century.  In the ruins of Hitler’s former capital, enemies became friends because of an aviation experiment that no one — not even its originators — thought could succeed.

The Second World War

Schrader is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author in 20th Century and Military Historical Fiction.

Schrader’s publications on the Second World War started with her dissertation on General Friedrich Olbricht, a leader of the German Resistance to Hitler, which was published in Germany by a renowned German publisher and widely praised in East and West (General Olbricht: Ein Mann des 20. Juli). A English-language biography of General Olbricht followed a few years later under the title Codename Valkyrie. Schrader also released a novel based largely on the extensive research conducted for her dissertation (Traitors for the Sake of Humanity). In addition, three of her aviation titles are set in the Second World War: Where Eagles Never Flew, Grounded Eagles and Moral Fibre.

Schrader’s current project is a novel in two-parts set against the dramatic backdrop of the siege of Malta in WWII. To seize control of Middle Eastern oil fields, the Axis Powers launched an air assault a hundred times heavier than the London Blitz against this tiny Mediterranean island just 17 miles long and nine miles wide. The RAF, Merchant Navy and British Intelligence were caught in a desperate struggle to save the Suez Canal and secure the Mediterranean. Malta was on the brink of starvation before help arrived. Voices in the Wind follows four of Malta’s defenders during the desperate year 1942.

Ancient Sparta

Schrader’s interest in ancient Sparta started when she encountered the beauty and richness of Sparta and recognized that reality conflicted with modern literature. Returning to the ancient sources, she discovered that the archaeological and historical evidence is at odds with popular myths. After stripping away the misinformation, a very different Sparta emerges. Schrader’s six novels set in Ancient Sparta seek to depict this fascinating society in conformity with ancient sources and common sense rather than modern politics. Her works have won the critical acclaim of classical scholars. She has participated in the “Sparta Live!” lecture series sponsored by the modern municipality of Sparti and the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies. She has also taken part on panels at international academic forums on Ancient Sparta. The third book in her Leonidas trilogy has been translated into Greek and released by a publisher in Athens.

Crusades Era 

The history of the crusader states is another topic in which popular misconceptions obscure the historical record. Schrader’s novels set in the Holy Land during the crusader era seek to show the Crusaders States as they historically were: a multi-cultural, tolerant, and sophisticated crossroads of civilizations. Schrader’s novels are based on scholarly research and incorporate the insights gained from modern archaeological surveys and data mining. Her history of the crusader states, The Holy Land in the Era of the Crusades: Kingdoms at the Crossroads of Civilizations, was the first book to pull together recent academic findings from a variety of disciplines and integrate the information into a comprehensive history and topical description of the crusader states. Schrader’s focus on the crusader states rather than the crusades makes her books unique and valuable contributions to the literature on the era.

Awards

Schrader’s books have won numerous awards. Most recently, The Tale of the English Templar was named the FICTION WINNER of the IndieReader Discovery Awards 2026. In addition, Cold Victory won SILVER for Military and Wartime Fiction in the prestigious Foreword INDIES Awards 2025. Other highlights include Cold Peace  winning the Independent Press Award 2025 for Political Thrillers and being named runner-up for the Historical Fiction Company’s prestigious  BOOK OF THE YEAR award; a Global Book Award (Gold) 2024 for Moral Fibre, a Book Excellence Award for Envoy of Jerusalem as Best Biography, Hemingway Awards for 20th Century Wartime Fiction from Chanticleer International Book Awards for Where Eagles Never Flew  and for Moral Fibre  in 2021 and 2022 respectively, and more. For an overview of awards please go to the awards page. 

According to highly respected Feathered Quill Reviews: “Helena Schrader’s in-depth stories, fantastic characters, and ability to write an unforgettable tale make her one of the best authors out there!”

Personal History

Helena was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of a professor, and traveled abroad for the first time at the age of two, when her father went to teach at the University of Wasada in Tokyo, Japan. Later the family lived in Brazil, England and Kentucky, but home was always the coast of Maine. There, her father’s family had roots, and an old, white clapboard house perched above the boatyard in East Blue Hill.

It was the frequent travel and exposure to different cultures, peoples and heritage that inspired Helena to start writing creatively and to focus on historical fiction. She wrote her first novel in second grade but later made a conscious decision not to try to earn a living from writing. She never wanted to be forced to write what was popular, rather than what was in her heart.

Helena graduated with honours in History from the University of Michigan, added a Master’s degree in diplomacy and international commerce from Patterson School, University of Kentucky, and rounded off her education with a PhD in History cum Laude from the University of Hamburg. She worked in the private sector as a research analyst, and an investor relations manager in both the U.S. and Germany before joining the U.S. diplomatic corps.

Helena published her first book in 1993, when her dissertation was released by a leading academic publisher in Germany; a second edition followed after excellent reviews in major newspapers. Since then she has published five additional non-fiction books, starting with Sisters in Arms about women pilots in WWII, The Blockade Breakers about the Berlin Airlift, Codename Valkyrie, a biography of General Olbricht, based on her dissertation, and The Holy Land in the Era of the Crusades: Kingdoms at the Crossroads of Civilizations and The Powerful Women of Outremer: Forgotten Heroines of the Crusader States.

In June 2010 she was awarded the “Dr. Bernard LaFayette Lifetime Achievement Award for Promoting the Institutionalization of Nonviolence Ideals in Nigeria” by the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria.

She grew up sailing along the coast of Maine and served as a non-commissioned officer aboard the sailing training schooners Sir Winston Churchill and Malcolm Miller. Over the years, she owned four horses. Helena Schrader is now retired and lives with her husband, Herbert, and her two dogs, Max and Roma.

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