Fricke entered the Kaiserliche Marine as a cadet on 1 April 1910. He served on during his cadetship and graduated from Marineschule Mürwik. After graduating he was posted to the battlecruiser. On 27 September 1913 Fricke was promoted to lieutenant. During World War I, Fricke served at the Battle of Dogger Bank. Fricke was promoted to Oberleutnant zur See in 1916 and transferred to torpedo boats. He served on and. On 7 March 1918 he became an aide-de-camp to the commander of the torpedo boats, in which position he ended the war. After the war he served in the administration of the German navy as adjudant to the commander in chief of the navy. From 1922 to 1924 he served on the I Flottille, in which he commanded destroyers T139 and T148. In September 1924, Fricke became a company officer in a coastal defence unit. Fricke was promoted to corvette captain in 1928. He served three years as a marine adjudant to the Reichswehrminister. In 1929 Fricke was made commander of half a squadron of torpedo boats. On 16 September 1931 he became commander of the I. Torpedobootsflottille. In 1933 he became Führer der Torpedoboote. On 1 April 1934 Fricke was promoted to Fregattenkapitän. Fricke then was posted as chief of staff to the inspectorate of destroyer and mine-warfare in the rank of Kapitän zur See . From October 1936 to September 1937 he served at the Wehrmacht-Akademie. After this academic posting, Fricke served on the Oberkommando der Marine as Chief of the Operations department of the Seekriegsleitung. On 30 April 1939 Fricke became liaison officer to the Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe. After the start of the Second World War, Fricke was promoted to Konteradmiral on 1 November 1939 and Vizeadmiral on 1 June 1941. From 13 June 1941 to 20 February 1943 Fricke was Chief of Staff of the Seekriegsleitung. Promoted to Admiral on 1 April 1942, Fricke was named commander of the Marinegruppenkommandos Süd. In December 1944 Fricke was placed in the Führerreserve. Fricke was killed on 2 May 1945 during the Battle of Berlin.
