Born Guido Zembsch-Schreve in Switzerland of Dutch parents, the man whose codename would be Pierre Lalande spoke Dutch, French, German, and English. In Britain, Lalande was recruited by the secret service in operation at that time, and tested with the entrapment of a female traitor. His success in this role led to his assignment to France, where he soon set up an escape network that would save hundreds of lives. Lalande was captured and deported to the slave labor camp of Dora, where the Nazi's secret V2 rocket was being developed. His assistance in sabotaging the V2 and records that he kept would help both the war effort and war crimes investigations.