 During the Battle of Britain against the Royal Air Force (RAF) in mid-1940, Wick rose quickly in rank and in profile, both in the battle zone and as a propaganda hero back in Germany where the authorities began an unsurpassed media campaign on his behalf.Wick became "the" most famous German pilot of the Battle of Britain because of it, surpassing Galland and Mölders.In the Kanalkampf phase of the battle, Wick claimed a Supermarine Spitfire on 17 July in the vicinity of the Isle of Wight.