Operation Cottage: The Most Awkward WWII Invasion of... Nothing? (with Kelly Corrigan)
episodePreviously titled “S4E17: Kelly Corrigan and Operation Cottage” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 5, 2026
Transcript
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Navy eventually realized they'd spent half the night shelling phantom radar echoes and gave the whole debacle a name worthy of this absurdity. The Battle of the Pips.
Oh, no.
Yeah, not to be confused with Gladys Knight and the Pips.
No, never.
Who are Atlanta, Georgia icons.
And delightful.
Oh.
This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.
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What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, a.k.a. Neurolinguistic Programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is Dr. Jesse Mills, host of the Mailroom Podcast. Each January, men promise to get stronger, work harder, and fix what's broken. But what if the real work isn't physical at all? I sat down with psychologist Dr. Steve Poulter to unpack shame, anxiety, and the emotional pain men were never taught how to name.
Part of the way through the valley of despair is realizing this has happened, and you have to make a choice whether you're going to stay in it or move forward.
Our two-part conversation is available now. Listen to The Mailroom on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.
Hello and welcome to Snafu. I'm Ed Helms, your host, and this is Snafu, my podcast about history's greatest screw-ups, or more specifically, the show where I ask brilliant guests to help me unpack some of the least brilliant moments in history and And in the process, maybe understand ourselves a little bit better. Today, I am joined by a four-time New York Times bestselling author, host of Tell Me More on PBS, and the brilliant mind behind Kelly Corrigan Wonders. She's even written a children's book called Hello World. She's wise, hilarious, kind of endlessly curious, and just a delightful human being who I adore. She is, of course, Kelly Corrigan. Kelly, welcome to Snafu.
Hello, Ed Helms.
So glad to have you here today.
I'm delighted to be here.
How did Operation Cottage unfold during WWII?
I'm really flattered. Thank you.
Oh, amen. We met a few years back. And I have to say, as soon as I met you, I was like, oh, this is a friend. Like, I've met a friend.
That's what I said when I called my husband. I said, you know who I spend a lot of time with today? Ed Helms. And he's like, Ed Helms? Like, from the office, from the hangover, Ed Helms? I'm like, yeah. And I said, I got to tell you, like, I have a feeling I'm going to know him for a long time.
Oh, that's very sweet.
I don't know what note we started on, but there was something about the very first conversation we had that was much deeper and better than most first first interactions.
Amen. Yeah. You're like you called your husband and you're like, he's way less annoying than Andy Bernard.
He didn't sing for me.
He's actually he's kind of normal.
Yeah.
Kelly Corrigan Wonders is a phenomenal podcast, which I highly recommend. You're five years in, over 700 episodes. The format of the show, it's basically a masterclass in human curiosity, in like exploring what makes us tick, what we fear and love and how we cope. And I'm just curious, after all of that deep listening, do you feel any –
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–3:16
2
How did Operation Cottage unfold during WWII?
3:16–5:09
3
What challenges did the soldiers face during the landing?
5:09–8:42
4
What mistakes were made during the Battle of the Pips?
8:42–11:35
5
How did the fog of war impact decision-making in this operation?
11:35–14:22
6
What were the consequences of the Kiska invasion?
14:22–17:25
7
What lessons can be learned from this historical snafu?
17:25–19:39
8
How does this story relate to broader themes of human nature?
19:39–57:40