Initially training was in self-propelled tank destroyers, but in July 1943 the unit was converted to a towed outfit.
Training continued in November 1944 Lieutenant Colonel Donald McGrayne became commander of the 679th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
The battalion was employed in support of attacks of the 92nd Infantry Division and combat around the Punta Bianca peninsula, near La Spezia, Italy against coastal artillery guns until the end of the war.
On 18 July 1945, a store of enemy mines exploded and the nearby Red Cross Club was caught in the blast.
From the 679th Tank Destroyer Battalion, three people died: Sergeant William E. Forster, Technicians Fifth Grade James Alford and Clarence L.