Several Western Europe WWII questions

Churchill originally wanted Harold Alexander as the commander of the Allied ground forces for D-Day.

What if Alexander was made the commander?

What if the Western Task Force (Omaha and Utah beaches) bombarded the beaches for 6 hours. Would that have changed anything?
 
Post-war histories make it clear that Alexander was personally brave, had an equable temperament and was a good leader of men but not a great technical general, and needed a good chief of staff to operate effectively. Montgomery on the other hand was a difficult personality (especially to his peers and those above him) but was a skilled technical general and had a great grip on what his subordinates were doing.

If Alexander was in charge he would probably have been less forceful in changing the COSSAC plan, and less clear on the critical objectives for the invasion plan, but would have probably have worked much closer with Eisenhower. Overall the Battle for Normandy would have taken longer, but would still have been successful.

Bombarding the beaches for 6 hours would have allowed the Germans to concentrate reserve units at the threatened sectors and bring up more ammunition for their artillery, leading to a worse slaughter at the beaches.
 
The lenght of the bombardment is less important than the effectiveness of it. If the OTL heavy bombers hit their designated targets at Omaha, things will be considerably easier for the invaders.
 
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