I saw the ten-ship formation in the distance when I was airborne from Filton in a Chipmunk - too far away to recognise, but I found out later what it was from a friend who was one of the Captains in the episode. His account was that it was badly organised, with succeeding vics stepped up from the previous ones, thus making it difficult to see the ones ahead. Earlier in his career he had flown Meteors in the day fighter role, and had argued at the briefing stage that vics should be stepped down from the ones ahead. He was over-ruled, and remained unhappy about it.