 In 1942 , Moser enrolled at the University of Innsbruck , taking classes in botany , zoology , geology , physics and chemistry . At this time , Austria was under the control of Nazi Germany and did not exist as an independent state . Moser became an authorised mushroom controller and instructor , and it was officially requested that he attend mycological seminars around Germany and Austria . At these seminars , he met a number of prominent mycologists , including Ernst Thirring . Thirring showed Moser some of the issues surrounding the large genus Cortinarius , which remained an interest for the rest of his life . In 1943 , aged 19 and after only three terms at Innsbruck , his studies were interrupted so he could perform military service . Having shown earlier promise in languages , he was trained as an interpreter , then sent to the Balkan Peninsula . He continued to show an active interest in mycology , collecting and identifying mushrooms and reading Rolf Singer 's Das System der Agaricales . 
