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.

Helmut's eldest brother Walter was born in Swakopmund, at the time in the German protectorate in South-West Africa.

[2][3] Owing to the demand for his father's skills and expertise building roads and bridges, Helmut spent most of his childhood traveling throughout the German Empire.

[4] Upon graduating from Gymnasium (secondary school) in 1935, Wick applied to the officer candidate course of the new German Air Force.

Scoring well on the suitability tests, he was accepted into the German military on 6 April 1936 at the Luftwaffe officer candidate school in Dresden, after completing compulsory Reich Labour Service.

At the time there was no such unit; the intention was to send him to Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1−1st Fighter Wing), based in Döberitz, near Berlin.

He chose the Richthofen Geschwader, commanded by Oberst (Colonel) Gerd von Massow, the unit was equipped with the Bf 109 E-3 and used the tactical code Yellow 3.

Staffel, serving in the air defence of Berlin during the German invasion of Poland which began World War II.

[12] Wick was allowed to take home leave from his Geschwader and spent Christmas with his wife Ursel, his baby son Walter, and his parents, before returning to his Gruppe at Frankfurt-Rebstock.

From 10 to 17 February 1940, Wick and six other members from JG 2 spent a week in the Black Forest on the Feldberg, skiing and relaxing.

[16] On 10 May 1940, German forces launched an offensive in Western Europe, but Wick remained on the ground while his aircraft, Bf 109 Yellow 2, underwent an engine change.

The two unconfirmed victories were Royal Navy Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers claimed on 19 May and for which he had no witnesses.

[17][18] Wick claimed that he observed one of the enemy gunners in the Swordfish wave a cloth which he perceived as an act of surrender before following it down and watching the pilot land.

As he did so, the gunner apparently believed Wick was preparing to attack and fired forcing the German pilot to shoot it down.

Staffel headquarters moved into the villa Beaumont-le-Roger (of Louis Aston Knight) an artist who had fled a few days before the Germans arrived.

[26] In the Kanalkampf phase of the battle, Wick claimed a Supermarine Spitfire on 17 July in the vicinity of the Isle of Wight.

[46] On 5 October gained his 41st combat victory on his way to overtake his two closest rivals, Major Adolf Galland and Oberstleutnant Mölders.

[47] Wick's ace in a day haul on 5 October proved unique for a German aviator in the Battle of Britain.

Flight Lieutenants Blackadder and Brazin, Pilot Officer David Evans and Sergeant Richard Spyer were shot down.

[48] Wick received orders in the late afternoon of 6 October to report to Reichsmarschall Göring in Berlin by 3 p.m. the following day.

His performance left a predominantly negative impression, since Wick presented himself as a "busybody" (Life magazine), and made fun of his victims.

[53] Wick's wing was chosen to stage southward, to provide an aerial escort to Hitler on his personal train as it journeyed to the French-Spanish border for the Meeting at Hendaye with Francisco Franco.

[58][59] One of Wick's opponents has been identified as Pilot Officer O. J. K. Haire, 145 Squadron, who was killed in action when his parachute opened too low.

This made Wick the highest-scoring fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe, surpassing Mölders, whose score at the time stood at 54 victories.

In a diving attack Wick shot down and killed Free French Pilot Officer Paul A. Baillon, of No.

Shortly afterwards, around 5 p.m., Wick's Bf 109 E-4 (Werknummer 5344 — factory number) was shot down, probably by twelve–victory ace Flight Lieutenant John Dundas of No.

The next day, other naval vessels and the Seenotdienst (air-sea rescue) service, escorted by fighters of JG 2, continued in vain to search for him.

It has been claimed the Germans used international airwaves to contact the RAF Air Ministry for information on Wick's fate.

The psychological and physical effects of combat fatigue earned the Channel area of operations the nickname Kanalkrankheit (lit.

Apparently an official Reuters report had indicated that a 25-year-old Luftwaffe Major, credited with 56 aerial victories, had been interned in a prisoner-of-war camp in Canada.