 The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment , under the command of Colonel Edson Raff , was the lead assault formation for the 17th Airborne Division , and was consequently the first American airborne unit to land as part of Operation Varsity . The entire regiment was meant to be dropped in drop zone W , a clearing 2 miles ( 3 km ) north of Wesel ; however , excessive ground haze confused the pilots of the transport aircraft carrying the regiment , and as such when the 507th dropped it split into two halves . Colonel Raff and approximately 690 of his paratroopers landed northwest of the drop zone near the town of Diersfordt , with the rest of the regiment successfully landing in drop zone W. The colonel rallied his separated paratroopers and led them to drop zone W , engaging a battery of German artillery en route , killing or capturing the artillery crews before reuniting with the rest of the regiment . By 2 pm , the 507th PIR had secured all of its objectives and cleared the area around Diersfordt , having engaged numerous German troops and also destroying a German tank . The actions of the 507th Parachute Infantry during the initial landing also gained the division its second Medal of Honor , when Private George Peters posthumously received the award after charging a German machine gun nest and eliminating it with rifle fire and grenades , allowing his fellow paratroopers to gather their equipment and capture the regiment 's first objective . 
