SOE's Balls of Steel

Operation Rubble, 147 Willing Volunteers and 25,000 Tons of Ball Bearings

Operation Rubble, the long forgotten secret mission to steal back ball bearings from the Nazis and keep the war effort aliveIn 1940, the Nazis hoped to cripple the British war effort by blockading Swedish cargo ships containing ball bearings, steel, and tools vital for making arms and equipment. Out of desperation, the newly formed SOE was asked to rescue these badly needed supplies and a daring escapade was conjured up to sneak in under German noses and steal the ships. It was a dangerous mission and the 147 men involved knew there was a high chance they would not come home. The terrifying mission to rescue cargo of ball bearings in clunky transport ships, while trying to outrun the Luftwaffe and German navy had never been attempted before and was never successfully repeated. This is the story of a forgotten adventure that saved Britain and her troops from certain defeat, all because of brave men willing to sacrifice their lives for millions of small balls of steel.