World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces
invaded Poland. During the campaign against France, JG 26 was controlled by
Jagdfliegerführer 2,
Oberst Kurt-Bertram von Döring, and was deployed on the right flank of
Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2), supporting the attack of
Army Group B against the Netherlands. On 10 May 1940, the opening day of
Fall Gelb (the invasion of the West), the now
Leutnant Sprick shot down his first enemy aircraft: a Dutch
Fokker T.V twin-engined bomber, over
Breda in the Netherlands. The next day, III.
Gruppe attacked a formation of
Curtiss Hawk Model 75A fighters from
Groupe de Chasse I/4 (GC—fighter group) over the
Antwerp-
Breda road. The
Gruppe claimed five Curtiss fighters destroyed, including Sprick's second aerial victory. On 17 May, III.
Gruppe transferred to
Saint-Trond and Sprick claimed a
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 near
Grammont. Having scored nine victories by the fall of France, he had been promoted to
Oberleutnant. He was shot down however, on 14 June near Évreux, by RAF (Royal Air Force) Hurricane fighters after claiming one of their number. But he managed to crash-land uninjured and was rescued by German troops.
Squadron leader On 8 August 1940, Sprick was appointed
Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8.
Staffel of JG 26, replacing
Oberleutnant Kuno Wendt. His
Gruppe, III./JG 26 had a formidable team of leaders during the
Battle of Britain, with the experienced
Kommandeur Adolf Galland and
Gerhard Schöpfel (9.
Staffel), with Sprick (8.
Staffel) and
Joachim Müncheberg (7.
Staffel). These four pilots all had 10 or more victories and over the next 2 months claimed 50 aircraft between them. Sprick himself scored 11 victories in the battle, including a pair of Hurricanes of 85 Sqn on 31 August (his 14th & 15th victories). He was awarded the
Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe () on 8 September, and then the coveted
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 1 October after gaining his 20th victory on 28 September. By the end of 1940, with the battle falling back into a relatively quiet period, his score had increased to 23. (Müncheberg had 23, Schöpfel had 22 and Galland with 58). On 27 November, Sprick claimed an aerial victory over a Spitfire in the vicinity of
Deal. According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is unconfirmed. However, Sarkar states that Sprick shot down
Keith Lawrence from
No. 421 (Reconnaissance) Flight who was injured in the encounter that day. June 1941 marked the invasion of the Soviet Union in the east. With the majority of the Luftwaffe involved in
Operation Barbarossa, it left just JG 26, JG 2 and JG 1 defending the west. Coinciding with this, the British started their own air offensive, taking the fight to the Germans over France. Now, however, the roles were reversed, and it was the RAF fighters that found themselves vulnerable, operating at the limit of their range. On 16 June 1941, Sprick claimed his 24th aerial victory. That day, the RAF had attacked
Boulogne-sur-Mer with six
Bristol Blenheim bombers in
"Circus" No. 13. The bombers were escorted by six fighter squadrons from
No. 11 Group.
Death On 28 June, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 26, with the objective to bomb the electrical power station at
Comines. III.
Gruppe, led by Schöpfel, was ordered to intercept the "Circus" escorted by
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron. The 8
Staffel, which was flying the high cover, was jumped from above by Spitfires and in the ensuing melee, the right wing of Sprick's Bf 109 F-2 (
Werknummer 5743—factory number) sheared off while he attempted an evasive
Split S maneuver. He crashed to his death near
Holque, inland from Calais. Sprick is buried in the
Bourdon German war cemetery, France in block 38, row 8, grave 305. ==Summary of career==