Knudsen

A Biography

Knudsen tells the tale of the immigrant bicycle mechanic who revolutionized American industry and buried the Axis powers with mass production. Norman Beasley presents the story of Signius Wilhelm Poul Knudsen, a young man who came to the U.S. with an unshakeable faith in American opportunity, an eye for efficiency, and twenty dollars in his pocket. Four decades later, that man would become Lieutenant-General William S. Knudsen, the mind behind America’s production at the most crucial point in modern history.

Knudsen began his time in American industry in the shipyards and factories, eventually landing a job as foreman in a bicycle manufacturing plant. He quickly demonstrated his skill in organizing production. Henry Ford took notice and bought the company on the condition that Knudsen come work for him. Knudsen succeeded everywhere he went, leading first Ford and later Chevrolet to dominating the automobile markets.

When WWII loomed on the horizon, President Roosevelt needed the best production man in the country to give the U.S. and its allies a fighting chance; he chose Knudsen.

This inspiring story shows a man who believed in and achieved the American dream, rising from rags to riches and changing not only the world of his time, but the course of history. Without Knudsen, America, and indeed the world, might have faced a much darker future.