By 1944 it was too late... Germany was losing the war badly.
en.wikipedia.org
The term
assault rifle is generally attributed to
Adolf Hitler, who used the German word
Sturmgewehr (which translates to "assault rifle") as the new name for the MP 43 (
Maschinenpistole), subsequently known as the
Sturmgewehr 44.
[6][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Allied propaganda suggested that the name was chosen for propaganda purposes, but the main purpose was to differentiate the Sturmgewehr from German submachine guns such as the
MP 40.
[15]
It has been suggested, however, that the
Heereswaffenamt was responsible for the name
Sturmgewehr, and Hitler had no input besides signing the
production order.
[16][15] Furthermore, Hitler was initially opposed to the idea of a new infantry rifle, as Germany lacked the industrial capacity to replace the 12,000,000
Karabiner 98k rifles already in service, only changing his mind once he saw it first-hand.
[17]