Ball-bearing Run was the nickname of a war-time flight Stockholmsruten between Stockholm and Leuchers. The flight was run by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, but for political reasons operated as an ordinary BOAC Flight, aircraft having civilian registration and the Norwegian military crew wearing BOAC uniforms and British passports.
The Stockholmsruten was set up by the Norwegian Government, exiled in UK with the aim of transporting Norwegians having escaped from the Nazi-occupied Norway. Several types of aircraft were used, but the backbone of Stockholmsruten was the Lockheed Lodestar
Since the aircraft also carried ball-bearings, of greatest imporrtance to the British war industry, the flight got its nickname in UK.
References
Ball-bearing Run Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA