Japanese Seizure of the Falklands - 1941

The British apparently feared the Japanese would attempt to seize the Falklands in 1941. So, what if a small Japanese force did exactly that?

Inspired by
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tabarin
"Also, in 1941, there had been a fear that Japan might attempt to seize the Falkland Islands, either as a base or hand them to Argentina, thus gaining political advantage for the Axis and denying their use to Britain."

How would they manage to do that?
 
Send a row boat with one soldier and a pop gun and land in the East Falklands?

But what happens when the British send a yacht with two Royal Marines and a harpoon? The back and forth struggle over the Falklands would be long and bitter, no doubt.

More seriously (or at least as seriously as the POD allows), Argentina in tacit alliance with Japan would throw US/UK policy in Latin America into paranoid chaos, and I'd think there would be at least a few cool heads in Buenos Aires well aware of such consequences. Of course given that Japanese landings on the Falklands would probably be quite small and unsupported, we might instead see Argentina act "In defense of our lands and seas, and all the Americas..." or some such by booting out the Japanese themselves after an abrupt DOW. With Argentina in "protective custody" of the islands, and offering at least symbolic support against Japan, the UK might accept negotiations that transfers them to Argentina de jure, especially if it came with entry against the other Axis powers or coaling/fuel/basing rights leased freely or cheaply.

A good deal for Argentina, if Axis sympathies don't scuttle it. Lots of lend-lease goodies, the Islas Malvinas, presteige, and a good chance of coming out of WWII stronger and more prosperous then when it began. Hindsight of course, given the uncertainty of Allied victory, but Argentina has no real reason to concede the Falklands or much else to anyone even with a conditional peace to WWII.

This could go the other way, but we'd need an earlier POD that has Japan actively fishing for allies, trade, or diplomatic support in Latin America well before 1941, and quite probably 1939 for that matter. I don't know how you'd get there without alarm bells ringing in Washington or London, and it'd be very odd and unlikely to have such a Latin American front... as interesting as it would be.
 
Jap Falklands 1941

I think it would be more like a coaling station a very minor diversion if anything.Almost like the invasion of attu and kiska in the midway battle.To remote for anything.
 
Cameron in Command?

A garrison of 2000 troops was established in the Falklands in 1942 when the threat was felt most serious just after Nagumo's raid in the Indian Ocean. The idea has been considered in a book by Philip Mccutchan in his Cameron series only it is arguably hidden history rather than AH as of course Cameron foils the plan all part of his winning the war at sea single handed.

Cameron in Command, 1983 (Cameron, now commanding a corvette is sent to
stop a Japanese invasion of the Falklands. How? By blocking the
strait the Japanese plan to take!)


Tomsong probably has it correct, a bit like the Aluetian Islands a sideshow. By 1942 Britain was eliminating the last surface raiders, decoy merchant ships and when these had gone, there would be little use for the base unless of course it was used as a base for commerce raiding in which case an operation woulod have been mounted pretty quickly
 
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