[John Beaman]

Yes, inexperience and panic were major factors. When viewing Maj. George Preddy's gun camera film from Aug 6/44 where he was credited with 6 109s destroyed, he and 2 others come up behind an ENTIRE gruppe of 109s and he shoots down 2 BEFORE they even start to break! Who was watching?

Also, a 109 is a very tight fit and, as other have pointed out, damage to the canopy, fire, smoke, etc. can be totally debilitating towards bailing out. The impact of the rate of fire for 6 x .50 cal MGs is often underestimated. It is the same as 20mm cannon shells and can severely damage an aircraft.