The resulting confusion was compounded by the inability to regain cohesion due to orders to maintain strict radio silence. Ten other aircrews returned to friendly air fields after the incident, and the remaining aircraft faced the climb over the Pindus mountains, which were shrouded in cloud cover. Although all five groups made the climb around , the 376th and 93rd, using high power settings, pulled ahead the trailing formations, causing variations in speed and time which disrupted the careful synchronization of the group attacks deemed so important by Smart.