William Fowler served as an officer in the Territorial Army and saw active service in the Gulf War.He is the author of numerous books and articles on defence,military technology and current affairs, and contributes to a wide variety of publications.He has reported from Northern Ireland, the Middle East and SE Asia.
Born in Somerset, England in July 1947,Will Fowler was educated at Clifton College,Bristol,Trinity Hall,Cambridge and University College,Cardiff.
He has worked in journalism and publishing since 1972,specialising in military history,current affairs and defence technology.During the Falklands Campaign in 1982 he was a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute,Whitehall.He subsequently reported for British,American,Asian, German,French and Gulf defence magazines from Europe,south Lebanon,Israel,China,Brunei, Northern Ireland,Berlin,the United States and northern Norway.He was Army Editor of the British magazine Defence from 1983 to 1990.
He has written over 30 books covering military technology and conflicts from the 19th Century to the Second Gulf War.Titles include The Royal Marines 1956-1982,The Falklands the Land Battle, Confrontation 1962-1966 (Osprey),Jeep goes to War,The Secret World of the Spy (Bison),SAS behind Enemy Lines (Harper Collins),D-Day the first 24 Hours,Barbarossa the First 7 Days,Stalingrad the Vital 7 Days (Amber),and Eastern Front The Unpublished Photographs 1941-1945 (MBI).
In 1998 Will set up and edited Jane's Amphibious Warfare Capabilities that covered the world's marine and amphibious forces.Commandos at Dieppe-Rehearsal for D-Day his account of the No 4 Commando action at Dieppe in August 1942 was published by HarperCollins in 2002.In 2003 he completed a four-part history of German armour operations in World War II for Ian Allan.In 2004 Weidenfeld & Nicolson published Operation Barras the SAS Rescue Mission Sierra Leone 2000.The reprinted edition of SAS behind Enemy Lines published in 2005 has been updated and takes the story of the SAS up to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Will has broadcast on historical and defence related topics on BBC Radio 4,BBC Radio Belfast,Channel 4 TV,The Discovery Channel and Central TV.
A Territorial Army (TA) soldier for nearly 30 years he was commissioned from the ranks into the 4th Battalion The Royal Green Jackets and volunteered for service in Operation Granby the First Gulf War of 1990-91.Here he served with the 7th Armoured Brigade (Desert Rats) and HQ British Forces Middle East.At the close of the campaign he was decorated with the Joint Service Commendation Medal by the US Central Command.In 1993 he graduated from the French Army Reserve Staff Officers Course at the Ecole Militaire,Paris.Since his retirement from the TA he has led Regular Army and TA battlefield tours of the 4 Commando operation at Dieppe.
He is an Associate of the Institute of Explosives Engineers and as a member of the Association of the United States Army has attended AUSA conventions in Washington and Germany.
Will is married and lives in Romsey,Hampshire.