 With World War II underway, and the U.S. still a non-combatant, the staff at the embassy had placed large letters spelling "USA" on the roof of the building hoping this might help avert British bombings.Nevertheless, British bombing of Berlin brought bomb damage to the U.S. Embassy chancery, and its temporary closure – or so it was thought.Four days after the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. and Germany were at war and the embassy ceased operations altogether and its personnel were interned for five and a half months at "Jeschke's Grand Hotel ", a resort in the spa town of Bad Nauheim.