Tuhia he tomokanga mō tēnei wāhanga - I whānau mai a Wilcke ki Schrimm i te rohe o Posen, i tono ia mō te mahi hōia i roto i te "Reichswehr" o te Third Reich i te tau 1934. I te tuatahi i mahi ia i roto i te "Heer" (Army), i whakawhiti atu ia ki te Luftwaffe (Air Force) i te 1935. Whai muri i te whakangungu rere, i tukuna ia ki "Jagdgeschwader" "Richthofen" (Fighter Wing "Richthofen") i te Paenga-whawha 1936. Whai muri i tana mahi hei kaiwhakaako rererangi rererangi, i tono ia mo te mahi ki te Condor Legion i te Pakanga Tangata Paniora i te timatanga o te tau 1939. Whai muri i tana hokinga mai i Spain, i tohua ia hei "Staffelkapitän" (kaiarahi roopu) o te 7. "Staffel" (7th squadron) o "Jagdgeschwader" 53 (JG 53 <unk> 53rd Fighter Wing). Whai muri i te pakarutanga o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, i kii ia i tana wikitoria rererangi tuatahi i te 7 o Noema 1939. I te 18 o Mei 1940, i te Pakanga o Parani, i patua ia, i mauheretia. I muri i te rangimarie ki Wīwī
, i hoki mai ia i te whakarau ka tohua hei "Gruppenkommandeur" (kaiwhakahaere roopu) o te III. "Gruppe" (3rd group) o JG 53 i te Pakanga o Ingarangi, e kii ana i nga wikitoria 10 mo Ingarangi.