 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.