No. 161 Squadron RAF

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (September 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (June 2021)

No. 161 Squadron RAF
Active	9 May 1918 - 17 August 1918 15 February 1942 – 2 June 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Motto(s)	Liberate[1]
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	An open fetterlock
Squadron codes	MA Feb 1942 - 1945 JR Apr 1944 - 1945 (Lysander Flight only)

No. 161 (Special Duties) Squadron was a highly secretive unit of the Royal Air Force, performing missions as part of the Royal Air Force Special Duties Service. It was tasked with missions of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) during the Second World War. Their primary role was to drop and collect secret agents and equipment into and from Nazi-occupied Europe. The squadron had a secondary role in acting as the King's Flight, where it was responsible for transporting royal family members.