William Knudsen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 25, 1879 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Died | April 27, 1948 (aged 69) Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Director of War Production Air Technical Service Command |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal (2), American Campaign Medal World War Two Victory Medal |
| Children | Semon Knudsen |
William Signius Knudsen (March 25, 1879 – April 27, 1948) was a leading Danish-American automotive industry executive and an American general during World War II.
His experience and success as a key senior manager in the operations sides of Ford Motor Company and then General Motors led the Franklin Roosevelt administration to commission him directly as a lieutenant general in the United States Army to help lead the United States' war materiel production efforts for World War II.
Knudsen became the only civilian in U.S. history to join the Army at such a high initial rank, and under his direction, American industry dramatically increased its military production, including growing aircraft production from fewer than 3,000 planes in 1939 to over 300,000 by war's end.