Provenance and early years Otto Moser was the fifth son of Alwin Moser (1823–1906), whose professional career took him to the chairmanship of
Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, at
Stuttgart. His mother was Auguste Moser (born Auguste Kleinlogel, 1827–1900). From 1 April 1910 till 12 September 1912 Moser served as commander of the
"Old Württemberg" (3rd Württemberg) No. 121 Infantry Regiment, aged 52, he was promoted to major general and placed on immediate availability for service as an army officer.
First World War With effect from 27 January 1913, Otto von Moser was appointed to the command of the 53rd Infantry Brigade (3rd Royal
Württemberg), based in
Ulm. (A lieutenant who joined his battalion in 1914,
Erwin Rommel, later became one of Germany's most respected military commanders.) Moser was in command of the brigade at the outbreak of the
First World War in July 1914. Moser was disabled by a severe
shrapnel wound on 2 September 1914, at
Romagne during the course of the Battle of
Varennes–
Montfaucon. On returning to duty on 25 May 1915, he was given a command of the
107th Division which was sent to fight on the
Eastern Front. The division took part in the capture of
Brest-Litovsk in August, before being switched to participate in the
Serbian Campaign. Moser was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant general on 18 August 1915 and on 13 June 1916 he was transferred to the
Western Front, to command the 27th Division (2nd Royal
Württemberg). On 12 March 1917 he was appointed to command the
XIV Reserve Corps, fighting in the
Battle of Arras and winning the
Pour le Mérite, for his skill and leadership. At the end of November, during the
Battle of Cambrai, the XIV Reserve Corps was surprised by the British offensive but held its positions in a costly defensive battle while groups to the south were forced back by the British.
Retirement Moser retired due to exhaustion in February 1918, his retirement becoming permanent on 18 July. His retirement was marked with the award of the
Military Merit Order. After the war Moser lived a short distance to the east of
Lake Constance, on the Ludwigshöhe estate at
Isny which he had inherited through his wife. He had already published several works on military history while still a serving officer, and his written output now increased. On 31 July 1927 the
University of Tübingen celebrated his literary endeavours by awarding him an honorary doctorate. Moser applied the royalties from his book "Die Württemberger im Weltkriege" (1927), to set up in Isny a foundation with social objectives. ==Publications==