22 on shoulder strap with swedish cuffs

[Naxos]

Can this unit be identified? - one can clearly see the 22 on the shoulder straps.

Since the Prussian and Bavarian Infanterie Regimenter Nr.22 had Brandenburg cuffs I ruled them out.

Dragoner Rgt. 22 from Baden I ruled out as well.

Pionier Batl. 22 I ruled out since it should have Saxon cuffs.

I think the men are from the Feld-Arillerie-Regiment Nr.22 - since the 13. Division to which the FAR22 belonged was deployed at Neuve-Chapelle in the Spring of 1915.

On the back is written: Im Sch?tzengraben bei Neuve-Chapelle 7 + 8 Mai - Wimert, Sch?fer

Any help is welcome.

Regards Hardy

[David Gregory]

The Battle of Neuve-Chapelle was in mid-March, so the units that fought there might have been rotated out of the area by May.

Elements of Pio.-Btl. 22 were spread over 7 different divisions, which makes it hard to pin them down by the number alone.

I wouldn't rule out the other units solely due to the lack of the right cuffs, as the supply situation was never entirely cut and dried. However, Bavarian 22. I.R. was part of 3. bayerische I.D. at the time and around 30 kilometers south of Neuve-Chapelle in May 1915. Prussian 22. I.R. was with 11. Reserve-Division in Verdun for a prolonged period and L.I.R. 22 was somewhere on the eastern front.

13. I.D. was just a few kilometers south of Neuve-Chapelle in the area of La Bass?e from early May until late June. This makes FAR 22 quite likely, which would suggest the men were part of an artillery observation group.

Is this a single photo or part of a group?

[Naxos]

Thank you for your reply David -

I checked the Bavarian IR22, but I ruled it out since the 3rd Bavarian Division gave up IR22 in April 1915 to the new 11th Bavarian Division.

Besides the wrong cuffs for the Pionier Bataillon 22 - the color shades of the Korkade would be wrong (for Saxon the center would be a light shade for white color)

David it is just a single photo, but I like the unusual image of Artillerie men with rifles in the trench.

Regards, Hardy