Was watching a show on D-Day and they mentioned that when invading omaha, the US only used naval bombardment for a couple of hours at best. The air campaign was also lackluster and failed to destroy German defenses.
As a final blow, much of the armor trying to land sank. I saw video of soldiers repeatedly driving tanks off the landing craft, abandoning them and swimming to grab another.
In terms of casualties this beach topped the chart, everyone else did better. Am I wrong thinking that Omaha was botched? I can find all of the facts even on wikipedia but no one has actually said it.
I think it is hard to say "botched" as it implies incompetence beyond the normal friction of war. Not everything will go to plan even before the opponent uses his vote.
The situation in Normandy cannot be compared to the Pacific islands, where a bombardment could go on for days without the enemy being able to do anything about it. If the shelling went on too long in Normandy, it could give time for the Germans to move reinforcements to the area.
There were clouds over Omaha, the bombers were forced to rely on instruments, not exactly GPS precision. They fell long. And, in fairness, they would only be able to do so much against fortifications,
As to the tanks, the tankers were given the discretion to launch or not. On the basis that they figured it was worth the risk, B and C companies 741st Tank Battalion decided to try their luck at the seas which, unlike at other beaches, was far rougher than in training. Waves were six feet, but a DD tank had about three feet of freeboard. All but two tanks commanded by tankers who happened to have sailing experience sank in the heavy waves. It is difficult to fault a tank battalion for not having many sailors. Seeing what happened, the LCT commanders holding A company decided to take their own risks and go straight to the beach. Some were sunk by German shellfire as they approached, taking tanks with them. Most made shore, though, so this was a case of courage trying to get the job done, as opposed to a botching.
Yeide: The Infantry's Armor.
The_Chieftain_WG post covered most of the reasons why the men at Omaha had a tougher time than the other beaches. However the German defenders were of generally higher quality at Omaha compared to Utah. At Utah the primary defender was the 709th Static Division while Omaha was defended by the 352nd Infantry Division. The 709th was in large parts eastern conscripts which were of low quality. The 352nd was a proper infantry division formed in large part by disbanding decimated divisions from the eastern front.
This meant that the 352nd both had better equipment and more experienced troops. It is therefore no wonder the Americans had a tougher time at Omaha compared to Utah.