Helmut Wick

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Propaganda shot, September 1940:
"41 times winner in air combat. Captain Wick, the successful German fighter pilot, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the Führer, describes his last fights with his comrades, in which he crashed five Spitfires in a row brought. " (Source Nazi propaganda)

Helmut Paul Emil Wick (* 5. August 1915 in Mannheim ; † 28. November 1940 in the English Channel ) was a by the Nazi propaganda popularized officer of the German Air Force and fighter pilot in World War II .

Life

Origin and school

There are no historical scientific claims and the rules of scientific work sufficient biographical description of Wick. According to two Nazi propaganda reports from 1943, Helmut Wick was the last of three children born. His parents were Carl Wick (director in the large construction industry) and Berta, daughter of the Mannheim merchant family Schenck. According to Nazi propaganda, Wick was a member of the SA (sometime between 1932-1934) . In the spring of 1935 his family moved to Berlin . In the same year he finished the Hindenburg-Oberrealschule with the Abitur. In January 1936 he took up the Reich Labor Service in Mecklenburg . Helmut Wick married on August 5, 1939; he had two children with his wife.

Pre-war period

According to Nazi reports, Wick joined the German Air Force on April 6, 1936 . There he began an officer training under his mentor and later close friend Werner Mölders at the Air War School, upon completion of which he was promoted to lieutenant on January 1, 1939 , and to the I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 133 ( converted to Jagdgeschwader 53 on May 1, 1939 ) was transferred to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim . There he was assigned to the 1st squadron , in which Mölders was the squadron leader .

Second World War

Extract of Wick's kills from the shooting list of Jagdgeschwader 2 from November 6th and 7th, 1940

At the beginning of the Second World War, Wick was transferred to I. Gruppe / JG 2 "Richthofen" on September 1, 1939 , which was used to shield Berlin from the east. After the attack on Poland , his unit was moved to Frankfurt-Rebstock to secure the western border. In this command , Wick achieved his and the squadron's first aerial victory on November 22, 1939 when he shot down a French Curtiss Hawk 75 fighter near Nancy . Shortly before Christmas 1939, Helmut Wick received the Iron Cross 2nd class. and on June 6, 1940, after his ninth victory in the air, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class. After the 14th aerial victory attributed to Wick, he was promoted to first lieutenant on July 21, 1940 and appointed captain of the 3rd squadron. On August 29, 1940, after the Battle of Britain began , he was awarded the Knight's Cross after his 25th victory in the air . As captain , Wick took over the command of Group I of JG 2 on September 9, 1940. In October 1940, Wick is said to have recorded eleven kills within ten days. On October 8th, after around 41 victories in the air, Wick received the oak leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On October 19, he was promoted to major and Wick became commodore of JG 2. At only 25 years of age, Wick was not yet experienced enough to lead larger associations and his fighting style remained strongly individualistic, which led to relatively high losses and poor morale led in his squadron. Wick was promptly presented as a “hero” to the international public at a press conference by the Propaganda Ministry . His appearance left a mostly negative impression, however, as Wick presented himself as a "busybody" ( Life Magazine ) and made fun of his victims.

Memorial to John Dundas on the Isle of Wight

death

On the afternoon of November 28, 1940, he attacked a numerically far superior unit of the Royal Air Force with the staff swarm of JG 2 under his leadership . During this aerial battle , Wick achieved what is believed to be his 56th aerial victory. In the further course of the battle, Wick lost touch with his swarm, was shot down by British pilot John Charles Dundas and fell about 40 kilometers from the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The intensive search for him was unsuccessful. An inquiry in England revealed that a Major Wick had not been taken prisoner. The Wehrmacht High Command announced his death on December 4, 1940. However, rumors lingered for a few weeks that Wick had been captured and transported to Canada .

Awards

Afterlife as a Nazi idol

Already in his death notice on 4 December 1940 emphasized the Wehrmacht , Wick will "[...] live on the German people and especially in the German youth as a model." In the following period, the Nazi propaganda operated Wicks and other aces to Creation of own heroic legends and to demonstrate the “ideal image of the Aryan superman : young, daring, attractive, successful and at the same time a little enraptured.” In January 1941 the propaganda illustrated Der Adler published an apparently still authored by Helmut Wick under the title Hetzjagd am Himmel Article in which he reports euphorically about his flights in June / July 1940. Despite Wick's death, a sequel was announced. In mid-February 1941 a propaganda article actually appeared there in which Wick was elevated to an idol as “the young Siegfried of the German Air Force” . In 1942, the Volksbund für das Deutschtum Abroad received a Nazi-style drawing of Wicks by the propaganda painter Wolf Willrich as a postcard major Wick expelled.

From 1941 onwards, several of Wick's biographies appeared in the form of penny notebooks and a book based on propaganda company material. These representations are designed according to the Nazi propaganda prevailing at the time, with Wick and his aviation activity heroized and hagiographically exaggerated. These include the 1941 in the Flieger-Heftchen series: What do you know about aviation? 16-page propaganda presentation Major Wick - the model of the German fighter pilot , written by Walter Zuerl , as well as a 48-page biographical description written in 1943 by the commissioned author FL Neher , which was published as issue 3 in the by General der Flieger on behalf of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring published Groschenheftreihe our fighter pilots was published. The portrayal of Neher in the Landserstyle served war and propaganda purposes and can be assigned to trivial literature . The book Helmut Wick , written by the war correspondent Josef Grabler , was also published in 1943 . The life of an aviator hero , based on propaganda war reports and published in the " Adler-Bücherei " book series published by the Air Force Armed Forces service for propaganda purposes . After 1945, on the basis of Order No. 4 of the Allied Control Council, the depictions of Zuerl and Grabler were included in one of the lists of literature to be sorted out as works of National Socialist and militarist character and were to be removed from libraries and bookshops.

After 1945 this form of literary processing did not break off Wick. In 1961, in one of the series of the Groschenheft series Der Landser, a booklet on Wick was published by Armin Relling . This was followed by a large volume from Landser about Wick, the author of which was Heinz J. Nowarra . Another biography of Wick appeared in 1965 on the 25th year of his death in the German Soldiers' Yearbook of the right-wing extremist Schild-Verlag .

The right-wing national newspaper portrayed Wick in December 1999 in its series "Great German Soldiers - Immortal Heroes". Wick was counted among the "very young fighters of the German Wehrmacht", whose "heart [...] for the fatherland" glowed. In the air force he had "made a truly meteoric rise" that "shot him up from an inconspicuous lieutenant and swarm leader to a celebrated squadron commodore". In the series, only soldiers loyal to the Nazi regime were honored, sometimes using the linguistic formulas of the Wehrmacht and Nazi propaganda. The political scientist Fabian Virchow classifies the series in “the imagination of the extreme right of the men who are oriented towards the deed and who shape the course of events / history in the interest of the 'national' or ' folkish ' collective”. The characterizations referred “at the same time to a conceptualization of masculinity , the profile of which - very unified - would be marked by characteristics such as 'hardness', 'willingness to sacrifice', 'courage to death', 'bravery', 'tenacity', 'cutting' or 'standing qualities' ".

A book by the amateur historian Herbert Ringlstetter, published by Motorbuch Verlag in 2000, paraphrases Nazi propaganda anecdotes without any clear indications of origin. Ringlstetter states that his publication is largely based on a photo album and two diaries of Franz Fiby, a fighter pilot who flew joint missions with Wick. This diary had already been used by Nazi propaganda writings. Wick himself did not keep a diary contrary to information at the time. Descriptions of combat, which are shown in Grabler's 1943 publication as quotations from Wick's diary, can be found in Ringlstetter as unspecified literal descriptions of Wick or as statements of Wick to a war reporter .

The "Soldiers 2011" calendar published by the German Voice Publishing House featured Major Helmut Wick as one of twelve " magnificent drawings " that came from the Nazi regime and that could serve as " high-quality and sought-after wall decorations " . The drawings would prove “that the German soldier is not only able to fight, but also to look, create and shape. It is important to recognize and appreciate the role models from history. "

Others

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 pp. 11-12
  2. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 p. 40
  3. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 p. 42
  4. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 5
  5. ↑ a b F.L.Neher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 7
  6. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 p. 45
  7. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 10
  8. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 13
  9. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 17
  10. ^ John Weal: Jagdgeschwader 2 'Richthofen' p. 26 online
  11. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 21
  12. ↑ a b c d e f For the reliability of the shooting figures see: Ringlstetter, Major Helmut Wick , p. 144.
  13. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 29
  14. ↑ FL Neher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 31
  15. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 p. 126
  16. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 pp. 35–36
  17. ↑ FL Neher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 37
  18. ^ Dean Andrew: Strategic Culture in the Luftwaffe - Did it Exist in World War II and Has it Transitioned into the Air Force? In: Defense Studies. 4, 2004, pp. 361-386, doi : 10.1080 / 1470243042000344803 , p. 373.
  19. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 38f.
  20. ↑ FL Neher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 39
  21. ^ A b Dean Andrew: Strategic Culture in the Luftwaffe - Did it Exist in World War II and Has it Transitioned into the Air Force? In: Defense Studies. 4, 2004
  22. ^ Nazi Flier Laughs at British Airmen. In: The New York Times v. October 13, 1940, p. 45 online archive ; Top Fighters of the German Air Force. In: Life v. December 9, 1940, p. 36 online archive ; William Bayles: Hero Wick (letter to the editor). In: Life v. December 23, 1940, p. 2. Online archive
  23. ↑ a b Boastful Nazi Ace Flier Cools Heels in Canada. In: Winnipeg Free Press v. January 23, 1941, p. 1.
  24. ↑ The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1 , p. 375.
  25. ^ John Weal: Spitfire Mark I / II Aces 1939-41 . Osprey Publishing, 1996, p. 68
  26. ↑ Luftwaffe in Focus 10, pp. 38–42
  27. ↑ 'Goering Inquiry' Ignored RAF 'Declines to Comment' on Alleged Radio Query About Wick. In: The New York Times v. February 9, 1941, p. 2; Chase in the sky. Major Wick's 55th kill. In Der Adler 1941, issue 4 v. February 18, 1941, pp. 98-104.
  28. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 excerpts from pp. 164–174
  29. ↑ a b The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945. Volume 1: September 1, 1939 to December 31, 1941. Munich 1985, p. 375.
  30. ↑ One Of Nazi Aces Captive in Canada. In: The New York Times v. January 23, 1941; Major Wick, Nazi Ace, Reported In Canada. In: The Herald Statesman (Yonkers, NY) v. January 23, 1941, p. 3; German Ace Is Internied In Canada. In: Syracuse Herald Journal v. January 23, 1941, p. 11.
  31. ↑ FLNeher: WICK . Hanns Arens Verlag / Berlin - Herrlingen, 1943 p. 1
  32. ↑ a b Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearer 1939–1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 783.
  33. ^ "Fliegerpokal for special achievement in air combat - from fighter pilot Helmut Wick" Aviation Museum Laatzen-Hannover eV Foundation Günter Leonhardt
  34. ↑ Josef Grabler: Helmut Wick: The life of a flying hero . Verlag Scherl Berlin, 1943 pp. 7–8: August 26, 1940, October 6, 1940, November 8, 1940, November 16, 1940, December 4, 1940
  35. ↑ Matthias Rogg : The Air Force in the Nazi film. In: Bernhard Chiari, Matthias Rogg, Wolfgang Schmidt (Eds.): War and the military in the film of the 20th century. Munich 2003, pp. 343-348, here: p. 345.
  36. ↑ Helmut Wick: Hunting in the sky. : In Der Adler 1941, issue 1 v. January 7, 1941, pp. 14f., 22f.
  37. ↑ Chase in the sky. Major Wick's 55th kill. In Der Adler 1941, issue 4 v. February 18, 1941, pp. 98, 100, 102, 104.
  38. ↑ figure ; s. a. Description in auction catalog 72 (accessed on May 23, 2012; PDF; 1.5 MB).
  39. ↑ Walter Zuerl: Major Wick - the model of the German fighter pilot. Munich 1941.
  40. ↑ FL Neher: Wick. Inside title: Helmut Wick. His life and achievements. Berlin 1943.
  41. ^ Heinz J. Galle: Groschenhefte. The history of German trivial literature. Frankfurt am Main / Berlin 1988, pp. 137, 187.
  42. ^ Entry by Grabler, Josef in the database of scripts and images 1900–1960 . (accessed on May 23, 2012).
  43. ↑ to Zuerl s. Department for popular education in the city council of Berlin (ed.): Directory of the literature to be sorted out. Berlin 1946, p. 84 (removal of the complete works); to Grabler s. ibid., p. 32 (removal of the complete works) as well as the German Administration for Popular Education in the Soviet Occupation Zone: List of literature to be sorted out. Berlin 1946, No. 3935.
  44. ↑ German Soldiers' Yearbook , 1965, p. 31ff.
  45. ↑ National-Zeitung 49/1999 (December 3, 1999), p. 12. Quoted in: Fabian Virchow: Against civilism. International relations and the military in the political conceptions of the extreme right. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 978-3-531-15007-9 , p. 396.
  46. ↑ Virchow, civilism . P. 347.
  47. ↑ Virchow, civilism . P. 394.
  48. ↑ Ringlstetter, Wick , p. 142.
  49. ^ Grabler, Wick , p. 37; Ringlstetter, Wick , p. 20.
  50. ↑ Grabler, Wick , pp. 75f; Ringlstetter, Wick , p. 60.
  51. ↑ www.ds-versand.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on June 20, 2012, quotations from the product description@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.ds-versand.de  

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Commons : Helmut Wick  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Wick, Helmut
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wick, Helmut Paul Emil (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer and fighter pilot in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH August 5, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Mannheim
DATE OF DEATH November 28, 1940
Place of death English Channel