Leaving "Trenton" in May 1942, Struble had duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations until late 1943, when he became Chief of Staff to Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, who was responsible for U.S. Navy participation in the Normandy Invasion of June 1944. Rear Admiral Struble was assigned to command a Seventh Fleet amphibious group in August 1944, and participated in the invasion of Leyte the following October. Over the next several months, he commanded or participated in landing operations at Ormoc Bay, Mindoro, Luzon and elsewhere in the Philippines. In September 1945, following the end of the Pacific war, Struble commanded the Pacific Fleet's mine force as it began the long process of clearing mines from the former combat zone.