Executives

Knudsen led the switch to a wartime economy

Lt. Gen. William S. Knudsen
LJ
By:
Leslie J. Allen
September 14, 2008 05:00 AM
GM's war output

A partial list of military supplies produced by GM during World War II

• 854,000 trucks, including amphibious DUKWs

• 13,000 bomber and fighter planes

• 38,000 tank destroyers and armored vehicles.

• 198,000 diesel engines

• 206,000 airplane engines

• 301,000 aircraft gyroscopes

• 190,000 cannons

• 1,900,000 machine guns and submachine guns

• 3,142,000 carbines

• 119,562,000 shells

• 39,181,000 cartridge cases

It didn't take William S. Knudsen long to make up his mind. President Roosevelt needed him, so there was only one answer the General Motors president could give.

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