[George Hopp]

I would say that it became obvious that the German Air Force air strategy was bankrupt, when, on 18 Aug 43, the Luftwaffe's Chief of Staff, Jeschonnek, blew his brains out. He was the same person, who in early 1942 wondered what the Luftwaffe could do with a production of 360 fighters per month.

In the Bf 109, the MK 108 was zeroed in at 400m. But, many of the most successful fighter pilots got as close as they could before firing. As Christian said above, the MK 108 carried little ammunition. So, the pilot had to use it sparingly. For example, the outer MK 108s in the Fw 190 carried 55rpg, and the central MK 108 in the 109G/U4 carried 65rpg.