In 1943 some 50,000 trials carbines were built specifically for urban combat and tested in battle as the Soviet Army marched through Germany at the close of WWII. They are essentially an M38 with an attached side-folding bayonet and were adopted in 1944 as the "7,62 mm Carbine, Model of the Year 1944", commonly known as the M44 in the US. From 1943 until 1945, these rifles used a sight similar to the 91/30 and M38, however the base featured a large ring that encompassed the barrel. In 1946 a much larger, "U"- shaped base was standard with a unique sight post only used on the newer models of M44 as well as the Chinese Type 53 carbines. These sight tools are designed to fit the early model M44 as well as the M38 and the Polish WZ48 .22 trainer rifles.