if anyone is still interested, here’s my translation of Wick’s subsequent recounting of the day’s events ..just published in Erik Mombeek’s new history of JG 2…
“ It is difficult to describe exactly what happened during the afternoon of 6 November. Perhaps I wasn’t on top form or my nerves let me down? After downing my second English victim I had one thought uppermost in my mind and that was to return home. I had enough fuel for several more minutes yet but I’d had enough for one day. In any case we were almost at the point where we’d have to fly home anyway. As luck would have it, just as we had formed up and swept into a turn that would take us home, I saw three Spitfires below us. They were apparently returning from a patrol over the sea. I spotted them first – before they’d seen us. We fell on them like a flash and the first one went down. Nothing for it but to clench my teeth and get into a position on the tail of a second who also went down after several rapid bursts of fire. There was still one left. By now my cannon were out of rounds so I had closed on this one firing from my machine guns only. A plume of white smoke appeared in an instant, an indicator that his engine was about to catch fire. I got the impression that I must have hit the pilot since he appeared to lose control – flying erratic manoeuvres for brief seconds – before levelling out. I gave him another burst. The Spitfire then tipped over one wing and plunged down into the sea. By now it really was time to high tail it home. Arriving back over the field I thought it prudent to avoid five passes waggling my wings since I was so low on fuel that the engine could have seized at any time. Climbing down from the cockpit I was greeted by my comrades with much hugging and back-slapping..”
Victory claims 6 November 1940
Lt. Siegfried Schnell 4./JG 2 Hurricane E. of Southampton 13h40 19th
Oblt. Erich Leie Stab/JG 2 Hurricane Southampton 15h35 6th
Major Helmut Wick Stab/JG 2 Hurricane Southampton 15h35 48th
Oblt. Erich Leie Stab/JG 2 Hurricane Southampton 15h37 7th
Major Helmut Wick Stab/JG 2 Hurricane Southampton 15h37 49th
Major Helmut Wick Stab/JG 2 Spitfire E. of the Isle of Wight 15h45 50th
Major Helmut Wick Stab/JG 2 Spitfire E. of the Isle of Wight 15h46 51st
Major Helmut Wick Stab/JG 2 Spitfire E. of the Isle of Wight 15h48 52nd
Oblt. Hans Hahn Stab III./JG 2 Hurricane E. of Southampton 15h55 22nd
Sign In
