Army medical officers with competence in this field were already holding highly important positions, the Army turned to Dr. Parran, the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, who agreed to release his deputy, Dr. Draper, for assignment to SHAEF. On April 26, 1944, Draper became a member of General Dwight Eisenhower's staff as the Chief of the Public Health Branch and the top public health adviser for SHAEF with the rank of brigadier general. He reported with his new assistant, Colonel William Wilson, to London on May 8, 1944, and in less than two months, on July 1, 1944, he was promoted to major general. The G-5 (Civil Affairs) branch had been established to handle the urgent issues created by the war on civilian populations. The European populace became overrun so fast by invading armies that the destruction and disruption of civilian life and institutions became great enough to impede the progress of the fighting forces. The primary objective of the G-5 was to further military effort by meeting emergency needs and maintaining civilian institutions. General Draper would have an integral role in meeting this objective, using a staff which included competent specialists in the fields of communicable disease control, nutrition, sanitary engineering, public health nursing, narcotic drugs control, veterinary disease control, and general health inspection. Some of the specific health situations faced by General Draper and his staff were venereal disease, typhus brought about by louse infestations, typhoid fever, malnutrition, and the generally horrific living conditions endured by refugees and many people living under German occupation. While Draper would receive recognition for his handling of health issues in Europe during the ensuing year, things did not always go smoothly. The Public Health Branch was an advisory agency, but sometimes acted as an operating body, resulting in some misunderstandings, and criticism that the branch was sometimes presumptuous in its actions. When public health issues arose, only those that were considered detrimental to the warfighting mission could have resources allocated, and this required some difficult decisions on the part of the public health branch staff. Upon completing his tour in Europe on June 1, 1945, Draper received a number of awards from different countries. He was made an "Honorary Companion of the Bath" by order of his majesty, King George VI of the United Kingdom, with the award presented at a ceremony in London by Air Marshall Sir Arthur Tedder.