David Howarth

Born in 1912, he was a British naval officer, war correspondent, boatbuilder, historian, and author whose life fed directly into his books. After studying at Cambridge, he worked as a BBC war correspondent at the start of the Second World War, then joined the Royal Navy and later served with the Special Operations Executive.

That wartime experience shaped much of his writing. He became especially known for vivid nonfiction about conflict and survival, including We Die Alone, the story of Norwegian resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud, and 1066: The Year of the Conquest. His books are remembered for clear storytelling, strong research, and a knack for finding the human drama inside large historical events.

He died in 1991, but his work continues to find readers who enjoy history that reads with the pace of an adventure story.