I'm trying to find the exact location of the Windmill Cafe,which I used quite often when stationed in BAOR.I seem to recall it was on the Autobahn between Braunsweig and Hannover,is there anyone who recalls where it was?
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Don

Donald,
It was located on the A2 autobahn ( Hannover to Dortmund) between Wiedenbruck and Beckum at Rastatte Valern, on some maps it still shows the windmill symbol.

Bob

Was that the YMCA Windmill? Good lord, seeing it mentioned brought back a flood of memories...buried in some box somewhere I have a souvenir plate of the joint. My parents and I often stopped there enroute to where ever it was we were travelling.

As I recall, it was one of the few places slightly homesick Canadians could find an almost Canadian meal of hamburgers and fries or pancakes.

Don,

Found it - it was really getting up my nose that I had seen a reference to this on the main site.

Take a look at:-

http://baor-locations.co.uk/autobahn.aspx

Paul.

Well only you service guys could come up with such quick and efficient info.Many thanks,if you're ever in the Detmold area the Herforder or Detmolder is on me!
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Don

Had a few good stops at the Windmill on the stores run from 20 OFP Detmold to Vierson and back. The Windmill was a welcome sight after sitting in a Leyand Hippo for hours on end at 29 mph on the autobahn

Brian

Does this ever bring back memories! It was always a convoy stop for us enroute to Hohne for fall concentration. However, unlike Stephen Lock, I don't remember hamburgers or anything other than the usual fare similar to that at the Dortmund YMCA. Maybe this was post-1965. Also a lot has been lost and forgotten in the mists of time and Glenfiddich. Anyway, I'm really enjoying this forum and I'm looking forward to chatting with old BAOR vets from those happy days.

I once had the honour of guesting the CO to a cup of tea and bun in the windmill cafe,I was taking him somewhere in the Humber Snipe as his driver was on leave!They certainly did'nt have any such thing as burgers in those days!But what they served tasted great when you'd been a few hours on the Autobahn.In those days you practically had the Autobahn to yourself!
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Don

PS we have a Windmill restaurant just outside of Detmold if you are ever in the area!

That's right, Don. Maybe those cheese buns sometimes resembled a 36 grenade in looks and texture, but we weren't very hard to please after a few hours of crushing boredom trundling along in convoy at a less than brisk 40 MPH.

Roderick

Another well loved spot was the "Mushroom" Cafe situated on the road between Giforn and Luneburg.When we were stationed at Wesendorf it was a popular spot for soldiers and families alike,anyone remember?
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Don

Wot u might mean Steve were the Windmill's famous fried spam slices which sorta looked like hamburgers-along with iced NAAFI buns were truly food of the gods. My dad drove me,mum & sis to visit my Omma in Reklinghausen from Hohne & a visit to the Windmill was compulsory in the 50s& 60s. Unless I'm mistaken we would have paid in BAFS coz theGerman curency @ this time was well dodgy. I remember a 2 shilling note paid my weekly dinner money @ Caen school & the primary school opposite the Roundhouse in Hohne. The exchange rate was 18DMs to the £ when it did get on track. Clive

Wrong Clive. The rate of exchange in the late fifties was One pound & sixpence,old money,to 12DM. After 1961 the rate was in continual decline as the DM got stronger.

Brian,

I bow to your knowledge of the rate of exchange "back then".

It was certainly twelve marks to the pound when I went out to Nienburg in '59.

If we wanted German money in those days we had to notify the Pay Cpl in advance and collect same, with our BAFVS, on Pay Parade.

"Pay and Book Correct, SAH !"

brum