 Gaffey served in this capacity through the campaign in Western Europe, from the time the Third Army landed in France in July 1944 and played a major role in Operation Cobra and the Battle of the Falaise Gap, followed by the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine and the Battle of Metz.In December 1944 he replaced Major General John Shirley Wood as CG of the 4th Armored Division, which played a major role in the Battle of the Bulge, helping to break the siege of Bastogne.He remained in command of the division until March 1945, towards the end of the war in Europe, when he became CG of the XXIII Corps.