Captain Bernard Yolles was born in August 1916 in Mississippi to David Leon Yolles (1859 - 1954) and Ray Yolles (1883 - 1959).
He volunteered for the United States Army on December 5, 1940 and attended basic training at Camp Forrest Tennessee. According to his enlistment paperwork he was 5’7” and weighed 152 pounds.
Having attended college, he later gained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing officer candidate school at Fort Benning, Georgia. Yolles was given command of Company F, 365th Infantry, 92 Division, an African-American unit known as the buffalo soldiers.
At 6:45 a.m. on February 6, 1945, Capt. Yolles led Company F, 365th Infantry in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge. His troops faced fierce German resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Capt. Yolles was killed halfway through the operation and the attack stalled as a result.
His body was buried in a temporary cemetery in Follonica, Italy, but later moved to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. Capt. Yolles received a posthumous Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, American Campaign Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal.
He was survived by his wife, Babette (Rubel) Yolles and their infant daughter; his parents; and one brother, Spc. Samuel Yolles.
Bernard Yolles married Babbette Rubel July 26, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee.
----------
Before the War
Bernard Yolles was born on August 14, 1916, to David Leon Yolles and Ray Yolles, the only Jewish family in Winona, Mississippi. The family owned a department store called Yolles & Schneider.
His cousin, Reva Schneider Hart, remembered Yolles as a handsome, bright-eyed, inquisitive prankster. One notorious prank occurred at the expense of a fellow retailer in town, Gordons. Reva recalled: Gordons two sons overnight painted footprints leading from our store [Yolles & Schneider] to their store. The very next night, Bernard and another youth painted footsteps from Gordons store right back to our store.
Yolles rose to the position of store manager at Yolles & Schneider, the family business. According to the Winona Times, Yolles was one of the first three men drafted from Montgomery County into military service. He was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A few days later, Yolles wrote to the papers editor to say, I, as yet, do not know where I will go. Army life is fine.
Yolles completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and wed Babette Rubel of Memphis, Tennessee, on July 26, 1942. His mother, Ray, told her daughter-in-law that her son had found his Blue Heaven. Their daughter, Barbara, was born on June 26, 1943.
Military Experience
In late 1942, Yolles served as an officer with the 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division in Camp Forrest, Tennessee. By July 1943, he was promoted to the rank of captain and was serving at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
By January 1944, Yolles transferred to the 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. The 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, was an African-American infantry division that traced its roots back to the post-Civil War Indian Wars. The symbol of a black buffalo on olive drab symbolized the rugged nature they brought to war. Their motto was Deeds, Not Words.
In the segregated World War II U.S. Army, the division was commanded by white officers, and the black soldiers faced discrimination at multiple levels. Despite these challenges, the 92nd Infantry Division in the Mediterranean and the 93rd Infantry Division, who served in the Pacific, distinguished themselves as the only all-African-American infantry divisions to serve in combat during World War II.
The 92nd Infantry Division trained in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before deploying to Italy, arriving in late 1944. On December 31, 1944, Yolles wrote his wife from Rome that many of his African-American troops were frustrated by their lack of supplies, Gee Sweetheart I wish I could talk to you in Person so I could make you relize [sic] over here some of the people in the Army or at war do not have access to lots of things that some other people have. Dont get me wrong. I am not at other people with Lustfull [sic] eyes and I am not unhappy about my lot.
In December and January Yolles wrote multiple paged letters home to his wife. He noted how much he missed her and how much he appreciated her letters. He even sent a Valentine card to my only Valentine on January 20, 1945.
Yolles and the 92nd Infantry Division entered combat when they crossed the Arno River in January 1945. In February 1945, Major General Edward M. Almond launched a major offensive against the German lines. The 365th Infantry Regiment was sent into the Serchio Valley to attack entrenched German troops.
Advancing from the town of Gallicano, Italy, on February 6, 1945, Yolles led Company F in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge and Hill 940. His troops faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Captain Yolles died in the attack. The Hill changed hands several times until recaptured by the men of 365th Infantry Regiment on February 10.
After the war, an African-American soldier who shared a foxhole with Yolles came to the family store in Winona and told them that Yolles was killed instantly when hit with a mortar shell.
Commemoration
Originally reported as Missing in Action on February 6, 1945, his remains were identified on June 12, 1945.
He was buried in a temporary U.S. military cemetery in Follon Italy, on June 18, 1945 alongside Private First Class Willie D. Thurmond. Thurmond was an African-American soldier who served under Yolles in Company F. In Yolles Mississippi hometown, such burials would never have occurred because the cemeteries were segregated by race.
On January 19, 1948, Babette Yolles designated that her husband be buried overseas. The family of Captain Bernard Yolles received notice of the permanent interment of their husband, brother, father, and son in Florence American Cemetery on June 10, 1949. -- Andy 48021049
He volunteered for the United States Army on December 5, 1940 and attended basic training at Camp Forrest Tennessee. According to his enlistment paperwork he was 5’7” and weighed 152 pounds.
Having attended college, he later gained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing officer candidate school at Fort Benning, Georgia. Yolles was given command of Company F, 365th Infantry, 92 Division, an African-American unit known as the buffalo soldiers.
At 6:45 a.m. on February 6, 1945, Capt. Yolles led Company F, 365th Infantry in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge. His troops faced fierce German resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Capt. Yolles was killed halfway through the operation and the attack stalled as a result.
His body was buried in a temporary cemetery in Follonica, Italy, but later moved to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. Capt. Yolles received a posthumous Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, American Campaign Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal.
He was survived by his wife, Babette (Rubel) Yolles and their infant daughter; his parents; and one brother, Spc. Samuel Yolles.
Bernard Yolles married Babbette Rubel July 26, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee.
----------
Before the War
Bernard Yolles was born on August 14, 1916, to David Leon Yolles and Ray Yolles, the only Jewish family in Winona, Mississippi. The family owned a department store called Yolles & Schneider.
His cousin, Reva Schneider Hart, remembered Yolles as a handsome, bright-eyed, inquisitive prankster. One notorious prank occurred at the expense of a fellow retailer in town, Gordons. Reva recalled: Gordons two sons overnight painted footprints leading from our store [Yolles & Schneider] to their store. The very next night, Bernard and another youth painted footsteps from Gordons store right back to our store.
Yolles rose to the position of store manager at Yolles & Schneider, the family business. According to the Winona Times, Yolles was one of the first three men drafted from Montgomery County into military service. He was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A few days later, Yolles wrote to the papers editor to say, I, as yet, do not know where I will go. Army life is fine.
Yolles completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and wed Babette Rubel of Memphis, Tennessee, on July 26, 1942. His mother, Ray, told her daughter-in-law that her son had found his Blue Heaven. Their daughter, Barbara, was born on June 26, 1943.
Military Experience
In late 1942, Yolles served as an officer with the 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division in Camp Forrest, Tennessee. By July 1943, he was promoted to the rank of captain and was serving at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
By January 1944, Yolles transferred to the 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. The 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, was an African-American infantry division that traced its roots back to the post-Civil War Indian Wars. The symbol of a black buffalo on olive drab symbolized the rugged nature they brought to war. Their motto was Deeds, Not Words.
In the segregated World War II U.S. Army, the division was commanded by white officers, and the black soldiers faced discrimination at multiple levels. Despite these challenges, the 92nd Infantry Division in the Mediterranean and the 93rd Infantry Division, who served in the Pacific, distinguished themselves as the only all-African-American infantry divisions to serve in combat during World War II.
The 92nd Infantry Division trained in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before deploying to Italy, arriving in late 1944. On December 31, 1944, Yolles wrote his wife from Rome that many of his African-American troops were frustrated by their lack of supplies, Gee Sweetheart I wish I could talk to you in Person so I could make you relize [sic] over here some of the people in the Army or at war do not have access to lots of things that some other people have. Dont get me wrong. I am not at other people with Lustfull [sic] eyes and I am not unhappy about my lot.
In December and January Yolles wrote multiple paged letters home to his wife. He noted how much he missed her and how much he appreciated her letters. He even sent a Valentine card to my only Valentine on January 20, 1945.
Yolles and the 92nd Infantry Division entered combat when they crossed the Arno River in January 1945. In February 1945, Major General Edward M. Almond launched a major offensive against the German lines. The 365th Infantry Regiment was sent into the Serchio Valley to attack entrenched German troops.
Advancing from the town of Gallicano, Italy, on February 6, 1945, Yolles led Company F in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge and Hill 940. His troops faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Captain Yolles died in the attack. The Hill changed hands several times until recaptured by the men of 365th Infantry Regiment on February 10.
After the war, an African-American soldier who shared a foxhole with Yolles came to the family store in Winona and told them that Yolles was killed instantly when hit with a mortar shell.
Commemoration
Originally reported as Missing in Action on February 6, 1945, his remains were identified on June 12, 1945.
He was buried in a temporary U.S. military cemetery in Follon Italy, on June 18, 1945 alongside Private First Class Willie D. Thurmond. Thurmond was an African-American soldier who served under Yolles in Company F. In Yolles Mississippi hometown, such burials would never have occurred because the cemeteries were segregated by race.
On January 19, 1948, Babette Yolles designated that her husband be buried overseas. The family of Captain Bernard Yolles received notice of the permanent interment of their husband, brother, father, and son in Florence American Cemetery on June 10, 1949. -- Andy 48021049
Captain Bernard Yolles was born in August 1916 in Mississippi to David Leon Yolles (1859 - 1954) and Ray Yolles (1883 - 1959).
He volunteered for the United States Army on December 5, 1940 and attended basic training at Camp Forrest Tennessee. According to his enlistment paperwork he was 5’7” and weighed 152 pounds.
Having attended college, he later gained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing officer candidate school at Fort Benning, Georgia. Yolles was given command of Company F, 365th Infantry, 92 Division, an African-American unit known as the buffalo soldiers.
At 6:45 a.m. on February 6, 1945, Capt. Yolles led Company F, 365th Infantry in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge. His troops faced fierce German resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Capt. Yolles was killed halfway through the operation and the attack stalled as a result.
His body was buried in a temporary cemetery in Follonica, Italy, but later moved to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. Capt. Yolles received a posthumous Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, American Campaign Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal.
He was survived by his wife, Babette (Rubel) Yolles and their infant daughter; his parents; and one brother, Spc. Samuel Yolles.
Bernard Yolles married Babbette Rubel July 26, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee.
----------
Before the War
Bernard Yolles was born on August 14, 1916, to David Leon Yolles and Ray Yolles, the only Jewish family in Winona, Mississippi. The family owned a department store called Yolles & Schneider.
His cousin, Reva Schneider Hart, remembered Yolles as a handsome, bright-eyed, inquisitive prankster. One notorious prank occurred at the expense of a fellow retailer in town, Gordons. Reva recalled: Gordons two sons overnight painted footprints leading from our store [Yolles & Schneider] to their store. The very next night, Bernard and another youth painted footsteps from Gordons store right back to our store.
Yolles rose to the position of store manager at Yolles & Schneider, the family business. According to the Winona Times, Yolles was one of the first three men drafted from Montgomery County into military service. He was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A few days later, Yolles wrote to the papers editor to say, I, as yet, do not know where I will go. Army life is fine.
Yolles completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and wed Babette Rubel of Memphis, Tennessee, on July 26, 1942. His mother, Ray, told her daughter-in-law that her son had found his Blue Heaven. Their daughter, Barbara, was born on June 26, 1943.
Military Experience
In late 1942, Yolles served as an officer with the 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division in Camp Forrest, Tennessee. By July 1943, he was promoted to the rank of captain and was serving at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
By January 1944, Yolles transferred to the 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. The 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, was an African-American infantry division that traced its roots back to the post-Civil War Indian Wars. The symbol of a black buffalo on olive drab symbolized the rugged nature they brought to war. Their motto was Deeds, Not Words.
In the segregated World War II U.S. Army, the division was commanded by white officers, and the black soldiers faced discrimination at multiple levels. Despite these challenges, the 92nd Infantry Division in the Mediterranean and the 93rd Infantry Division, who served in the Pacific, distinguished themselves as the only all-African-American infantry divisions to serve in combat during World War II.
The 92nd Infantry Division trained in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before deploying to Italy, arriving in late 1944. On December 31, 1944, Yolles wrote his wife from Rome that many of his African-American troops were frustrated by their lack of supplies, Gee Sweetheart I wish I could talk to you in Person so I could make you relize [sic] over here some of the people in the Army or at war do not have access to lots of things that some other people have. Dont get me wrong. I am not at other people with Lustfull [sic] eyes and I am not unhappy about my lot.
In December and January Yolles wrote multiple paged letters home to his wife. He noted how much he missed her and how much he appreciated her letters. He even sent a Valentine card to my only Valentine on January 20, 1945.
Yolles and the 92nd Infantry Division entered combat when they crossed the Arno River in January 1945. In February 1945, Major General Edward M. Almond launched a major offensive against the German lines. The 365th Infantry Regiment was sent into the Serchio Valley to attack entrenched German troops.
Advancing from the town of Gallicano, Italy, on February 6, 1945, Yolles led Company F in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge and Hill 940. His troops faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Captain Yolles died in the attack. The Hill changed hands several times until recaptured by the men of 365th Infantry Regiment on February 10.
After the war, an African-American soldier who shared a foxhole with Yolles came to the family store in Winona and told them that Yolles was killed instantly when hit with a mortar shell.
Commemoration
Originally reported as Missing in Action on February 6, 1945, his remains were identified on June 12, 1945.
He was buried in a temporary U.S. military cemetery in Follon Italy, on June 18, 1945 alongside Private First Class Willie D. Thurmond. Thurmond was an African-American soldier who served under Yolles in Company F. In Yolles Mississippi hometown, such burials would never have occurred because the cemeteries were segregated by race.
On January 19, 1948, Babette Yolles designated that her husband be buried overseas. The family of Captain Bernard Yolles received notice of the permanent interment of their husband, brother, father, and son in Florence American Cemetery on June 10, 1949. -- Andy 48021049
He volunteered for the United States Army on December 5, 1940 and attended basic training at Camp Forrest Tennessee. According to his enlistment paperwork he was 5’7” and weighed 152 pounds.
Having attended college, he later gained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing officer candidate school at Fort Benning, Georgia. Yolles was given command of Company F, 365th Infantry, 92 Division, an African-American unit known as the buffalo soldiers.
At 6:45 a.m. on February 6, 1945, Capt. Yolles led Company F, 365th Infantry in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge. His troops faced fierce German resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Capt. Yolles was killed halfway through the operation and the attack stalled as a result.
His body was buried in a temporary cemetery in Follonica, Italy, but later moved to the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. Capt. Yolles received a posthumous Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, American Campaign Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal.
He was survived by his wife, Babette (Rubel) Yolles and their infant daughter; his parents; and one brother, Spc. Samuel Yolles.
Bernard Yolles married Babbette Rubel July 26, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee.
----------
Before the War
Bernard Yolles was born on August 14, 1916, to David Leon Yolles and Ray Yolles, the only Jewish family in Winona, Mississippi. The family owned a department store called Yolles & Schneider.
His cousin, Reva Schneider Hart, remembered Yolles as a handsome, bright-eyed, inquisitive prankster. One notorious prank occurred at the expense of a fellow retailer in town, Gordons. Reva recalled: Gordons two sons overnight painted footprints leading from our store [Yolles & Schneider] to their store. The very next night, Bernard and another youth painted footsteps from Gordons store right back to our store.
Yolles rose to the position of store manager at Yolles & Schneider, the family business. According to the Winona Times, Yolles was one of the first three men drafted from Montgomery County into military service. He was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A few days later, Yolles wrote to the papers editor to say, I, as yet, do not know where I will go. Army life is fine.
Yolles completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and wed Babette Rubel of Memphis, Tennessee, on July 26, 1942. His mother, Ray, told her daughter-in-law that her son had found his Blue Heaven. Their daughter, Barbara, was born on June 26, 1943.
Military Experience
In late 1942, Yolles served as an officer with the 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division in Camp Forrest, Tennessee. By July 1943, he was promoted to the rank of captain and was serving at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
By January 1944, Yolles transferred to the 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. The 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, was an African-American infantry division that traced its roots back to the post-Civil War Indian Wars. The symbol of a black buffalo on olive drab symbolized the rugged nature they brought to war. Their motto was Deeds, Not Words.
In the segregated World War II U.S. Army, the division was commanded by white officers, and the black soldiers faced discrimination at multiple levels. Despite these challenges, the 92nd Infantry Division in the Mediterranean and the 93rd Infantry Division, who served in the Pacific, distinguished themselves as the only all-African-American infantry divisions to serve in combat during World War II.
The 92nd Infantry Division trained in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before deploying to Italy, arriving in late 1944. On December 31, 1944, Yolles wrote his wife from Rome that many of his African-American troops were frustrated by their lack of supplies, Gee Sweetheart I wish I could talk to you in Person so I could make you relize [sic] over here some of the people in the Army or at war do not have access to lots of things that some other people have. Dont get me wrong. I am not at other people with Lustfull [sic] eyes and I am not unhappy about my lot.
In December and January Yolles wrote multiple paged letters home to his wife. He noted how much he missed her and how much he appreciated her letters. He even sent a Valentine card to my only Valentine on January 20, 1945.
Yolles and the 92nd Infantry Division entered combat when they crossed the Arno River in January 1945. In February 1945, Major General Edward M. Almond launched a major offensive against the German lines. The 365th Infantry Regiment was sent into the Serchio Valley to attack entrenched German troops.
Advancing from the town of Gallicano, Italy, on February 6, 1945, Yolles led Company F in an attack to capture Lama di Sotto Ridge and Hill 940. His troops faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Captain Yolles died in the attack. The Hill changed hands several times until recaptured by the men of 365th Infantry Regiment on February 10.
After the war, an African-American soldier who shared a foxhole with Yolles came to the family store in Winona and told them that Yolles was killed instantly when hit with a mortar shell.
Commemoration
Originally reported as Missing in Action on February 6, 1945, his remains were identified on June 12, 1945.
He was buried in a temporary U.S. military cemetery in Follon Italy, on June 18, 1945 alongside Private First Class Willie D. Thurmond. Thurmond was an African-American soldier who served under Yolles in Company F. In Yolles Mississippi hometown, such burials would never have occurred because the cemeteries were segregated by race.
On January 19, 1948, Babette Yolles designated that her husband be buried overseas. The family of Captain Bernard Yolles received notice of the permanent interment of their husband, brother, father, and son in Florence American Cemetery on June 10, 1949. -- Andy 48021049
Inscription
CAPT 365 INF 92 DIV
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Mississippi.
Family Members
Siblings
