In 1993, Helena P. Schrader (then writing under her maiden name, Helena P. Page) wrote the first, full-length biography of General Friedrich Olbricht.  This work was published by a leading academic publisher in Germany and at once harvested recognition and academic honors.  The small edition rapidly sold out and a second edition followed the following year. Although now out of print, this biography is still the definitive biography of Olbricht.  It incorporated much original research, based on access to archives in what was then East Germany, unpublished personal documents and interviews with family members, colleagues and opponents of Friedrich Olbricht.  General Olbricht: Ein Mann des 20. Juli   An English language biography is scheduled for release by Haynes Publishers in the UK in 2009.

During more than 20 years in residence in Berlin, Germany, Helena Schrader became friends with several members of the German Resistance to Hitler. Ludwig Freiherr von Hammerstein, son of the former Commander-in-Chief of the German Army in the Weimar Republic, was her mentor establishing contact with various other resistance figures.  Through him, Helena become friends with both Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche and Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager.  The family of General Olbricht, most especially his widow, Eva Olbricht, and his son-in-law, Dr. Friedrich Georgi, were supportive in every way, providing countless details and documentation.  Marion Gräfin Yorck von Wartenburg and Clarita von Trott zu Solz were equally encouraging, providing much insight above all into the motivation and life-style of those courageous opponents of the Nazi regime involved in a conspiracy against a brutal and inhumane police state.  Nina Gräfin Stauffenberg, the widow of Claus Graf Stauffenberg, granted Helena an extremely rare interview, and Helena was also able to spend many hours talking with Freya Gräfin Moltke.  Last but not least, Helena was also able to interview several of the officers who helped put down the coup on 20 July 1944 as well as the widow of General Oberst Jodl.

Combined with over 20 years of secondary and archival research these contacts along with interviews with over a hundred other survivors of Nazi Germany enabled Helena to write a novel, An Obsolete Honor, which helps modern readers to understand what it was really like to live in Nazi Germany. 

Helena Schrader was the daughter of an American professor and lived in Japan, Brazil and England while growing up.  She earned a BA in History with Honors and High Distinction from the University of Michigan, followed by a MA in International Business from the Patterson School of Diplomacy, University of Kentucky.  She lived and worked in Berlin, Germany, for over 20 years, during which time she earned a PhD cum Laude in History from the University of Hamburg.
 
After completing her dissertation, she worked for almost three years with the German Privatization Agency (Treuhandanstalt) following the reunification of Germany, where she had responsibility for over 25 companies.  She subsequently worked in venture capital and investor relations in Berlin.  She is currently an active U.S. Foreign Service Officer.

She has published a total of 14 books to date and has further books in preparation for release.  For more details on her other publications visit her website at: helena-schrader.com.