ships also increased astronomically. Knudsen's influence not only smoothed government procurement procedures but also led companies that had never produced military hardware to enter the market. America outproduced its enemies. As Knudsen said, "We won because we smothered the enemy in an avalanche of production, the like of which he had never seen, nor dreamed possible." He was appointed Director of the Air Technical Service Command when it was founded in July 1944 at Patterson Field, Ohio. He served in the Army until his resignation on June 1, 1945. Personal life Knudsen was featured on the cover of Time magazine's October 7, 1940 issue. He was a member of Epiphany Lutheran Church (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod) in Detroit and contributed greatly to the synod's projects around the Detroit area, including buildings for Epiphany Lutheran Church, Outer Drive Faith Lutheran Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Institute for the Deaf. Knudsen's son Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen was also a prominent automobile industry executive. Honors and awards Knudsen was awarded the Vermilye Medal by the Franklin Institute in 1941. He was also appointed a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by the Kingdom of Denmark in 1930 and was promoted Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1946. Knudsen was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1968. His daughter started a scholarship in the name of her parents. Knudsen was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1944 and again in 1945 for his service in the US Army during World War II. He also received the American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal for his wartime service. Dates of rank References Further reading Borth, Christy. Masters of Mass Production (Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1945). Beasley, Norman. Knudsen: a Biography (New York: Whittlesey House, 1947), Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge (New York: Random House, 2012). . Knudsen, William S. (Current Biography, 1940:464-466) Knudsen, William Signius (American National Biography, 12:843-844) Lacey, James. The Washington War: FDR's Inner Circle and the Politics of Power That Won World War II (2019) pp. 213–222. William Signius Knudsen (Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography: The Automobile Industry, 1920-1980. Pages 265-283). . External links Time Magazine cover. October 7, 1940 1879 births 1948 deaths Businesspeople from Copenhagen Businesspeople from Detroit Military personnel from Detroit American businesspeople People in the automobile industry Ford executives General Motors former executives United States Army generals Danish emigrants to the United States