 While on the shakedown of his airmen, he had his maintenance crews remove the bomb-racks, fuel tank cowlings, landing lighting equipment, etc.On October 12, 1937, he led an aggressive search-and-destroy mission consisting of six Hawk IIIs, two Boeing P-26/281s "Peashooters" and a Fiat CR.32 against any Japanese fighter aircraft approaching Nanking airspace.As they've expected, a group of Mitsubishi A5Ms was caught entering Nanking airspace, and in the ensuing fray, Major John Wong Pan-Yang, an Chinese-American volunteer pilot from Seattle, flying a P-26 "Peashooter", drew first blood shooting down the A5M piloted by PO1c Mazazumi Ino.