Helmut Wick | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wick in October 1940 | |
| Born | 5 August 1915 Mannheim, Duchy of Baden, German Empire |
| Died | 28 November 1940 (aged 25) English Channel, off the Isle of Wight, England |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1936–1940 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | JG 133, JG 53 |
| Commands | JG 2 |
| Battles / wars | See battles |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Helmut Paul Emil Wick (5 August 1915 – 28 November 1940) was a German flying ace of World War II. He was a wing commander in the Luftwaffe (air force) of Nazi Germany, and the fourth recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, the nation's highest military decoration at the time.[Note 1]
Born in Mannheim, Wick joined the Luftwaffe in 1936 and was trained as a fighter pilot. He was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing), and saw combat in the Battles of France and Britain. In October 1940, he was given the position of wing commander of JG 2—the youngest in the Luftwaffe to hold this position. Wick was shot down in the vicinity of the Isle of Wight on 28 November 1940, most likely by the British ace John Dundas, who was himself shot down by Wick's wingman. Wick was posted as missing in action, presumed dead. By then he had been credited with the destruction of 56 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, making him the leading German ace at the time. Flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109, he claimed all of his victories against the Western Allies.
- ^ Williamson & Bujeiro 2004, pp. 3, 7..
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