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Why did Omar Bradley consider evacuating U.S. troops from Omaha Beach?

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D-Day: Omaha Beach — Omaha Beach U.S. infantrymen wading from their landing craft toward Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Allied commanders, including Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, considered evacuating troops from Omaha Beach because the D-Day assault had gone so poorly throughout the day of June 6, 1944.1

The landing was characterized by severe difficulties: units were intermingled and off-target, specialized armor support was largely lost at sea, and troops were pinned down by heavy fire from the veteran German 352nd Infantry Division, which utilized the cliffs to create a "killing zone". By the end of the day, the American forces had failed to reach their planned objectives and had suffered 2,400 casualties. Because the situation was so dire and the fighting had been so disastrous, commanders contemplated pulling the troops back. The operation was only considered a success because small groups of soldiers eventually managed to scale the cliffs and establish a toehold, which was later expanded as more troops and support arrived.12