http://www.kueste.vvn-bda.de/berthold.htm
My best translation:
At witnesses was no lack. Thousands were present, hundreds were heard. But the happening on that 15 March 1920, which is "Harburger blood Monday", which ended in a massacre, never free of doubts clarified.
It began Saturday, 13 March, in the morning-grey far in Berlin, where the 5000 men of the free corps brigade Erhardt occupied the area of government administration. The civil servant Wolfgang cut as a realm chancellor one proclaimed, general baron von Luettwitz the Commander-in-Chief of the army one appointed. In the whole realm free corps took shelter to the instruction of Luettwitz and tried to arrive into the realm capital.
The free corps had been educated, in order to strike down the revolution of 1918/19, and should now, after political conditions had apparently stabilized, be dissolved. Their loyalty to the Weimar Republic was however small, for it applied still the oath of loyalty on the resigned emperor. The late "cut kapp-Putsch so mentioned" should forestall its smashing.
Also the three battalions of the "iron crowd", which stored since at the beginning of January in Drochtersen, would have disarmed on 15 March and to be dissolved to be supposed. Still in the previous year they had fought in Lettland against the Bolschewisten and by the population therefore "Baltikumer" had been called. One of its commanders, captain Berthold, had attached contacts to the brigade Erhardt. When on Sunday, two battalions Bertholds instruction took shelter and made themselves 14 March, which reached message of the putsch Kehdingen, on to Berlin.
The 28-jaehrige Rudolf Berthold had been in the First World War a flighter pilot. 44 firings went on its account, since its 10. Air victory was it carrier of the highest medal of the Empire of, the "Pour le mérite". Machine gun fire had zerfetzt it right arm and had gelaehmt. When "physically completely uses, therefore standing under Morphium often", one described it its untergebenen. A war hero, who came with peace and republic not by right. A Desperado, which did not have to lose anything.
The data concerning the strength of Bertholds troop and their armament vary substantially: from 400 to 800 men. The public prosecutor's office, which examined the case most in detail, counted 600 men with 200 rifles.
In the meantime by the selected government the general strike had been proclaimed, by which the putsch should be settled within three of days. Traffic rested. To drive on kaperten the Baltikumer into Stade a course against six o'clock in the evening drove it on the "red" Harburg too.
Between house break and Unterelbe the course stopped because striker railroadman it obstructed, reads a version. Another means: Captain Berthold planned itself, at the engineer battalion NR. to provide 9 in the barracks at the black mountain with additional weapons. The commander of the pioneers, major Hueg, had been set off, because he had explained himself for the putsch.
Berthold is to have said Rolffs, which came to the course, to the pioneer captain, he must provide for Huegs re-instatement. Rolffs recommended the home fields middle school as accomodation. With singing – "who does not love us, is dying to be subject" to – the Baltikumer drew in there.
Trade unionists, party people and pioneers advised with mayor Denicke, as by Bertholds troop would be to be met the threat. The pioneers did not feel strong enough to force the Baltikumer to the departure. Thus weapons were spent to the inhabitant resistance created during the revolution. Around midnight spoke WHETHER Denicke in the middle school with Berthold. The stressed, it must provide for "peace and order".
At the night the siege of the school began. Up to "Postengeplaenkel" with schreckschuessen it remained calm. On the next morning renewed negotiations. The pioneers assured themselves, neutrally to with restraint, the Baltikumer wanted in the afternoon to take off.
Approximately around the school long a great deal people had met: armed workers and merry; some thousands are to have been it. Machine guns had been positioned.
How it came to the escalation, is unclear. Apparent captain Berthold before the school held a speech, in which it protested its peaceful intentions. Nearly it would have reached that the quantity itself absent-minded. There armed workers penetrated threateningly on him. On the part of the Baltikumer a shot, the workers fell fired back.
Fire fight, "swelling and again crumbling", took the whole afternoon. Against five o'clock circled an airplane over the combat place. Allegedly it came from a Colonel of the Putschisten into Altona and threw notes off with the instruction at Berthold to lay down the weapons. Anyhow the Baltikumer showed the white flag against six o'clock.
First Berthold demanded free departure with weapons. After one refused to it, he consented to the unconditional task. The Baltikumer left gradually the school. Suddenly shots fell. Each side attributed later to the other one the fire to have opened. A part of the Baltikumer fled back into the school, the workers stormed afterwards.
Only roughly the happening could be reconstructed by police and public prosecutor's office. The number of the dead ones was difficult already to determine; 25 was probable it. 13 workers, one pioneer and three Baltikumer died in combat. Eight Baltikumer stepped after the surrender of the applied quantity erstochen or literally to death.
However the murder at captain Berthold was examined more exactly. But many questions remained open.Was Berthold already clubbed with rifle buts when he was standing in front of the school, speeching? Or did that happen in the café "Zur alten Rennbahn", did they want to interrogate him there, and did they torture him there? Or was he just brought there for his own safety?
Anyway, what happened was: they (the murderers) pulled him out of the café to a vacant sandplace, where he was being kicked and clubbed with rifle buts. Eventually, 6 shots out of his own pistol brought him down.
With the first newspaper reports the legend formation began: "women cut the leader the Gurgel through", were called it over Bertholds end. "Vertierte of women tore it the gelaehmten right arm from the joint", let the national socialists spread later, the Berthold than martyrs for their thing took in. From its "victim death among the fists and measurers of vertierter red murder bandits" Hermann Goering in the preface of a book faselte.
Two main suspects for the meuchelmord, the coppersmith of Bremen and the fishmonger Noack, were acquitted in February 1921 by the Stader jury. The attempt to condemn two further suspicious ones failed in June just like resumptions of the procedure 1925 and 1926. Punctually to a commemoration ceremony for Berthold on 15 March 1933, briefly after the seizure of power, the Nazis strove to be able to present an author.
The police collected eagerly rumors: Someone had heard someone else of, how possibly who had gebruestet itself the Berthold murder. Of Bremen and Noack stood on the list, were spied on completely above and in "protective custody" taken last. Finally Noack accused of Bremen of, which confessed, Berthold with a rifle the grace shot to have given.
Meanwhile the Prussian Ministry of Justice rejected the resumption of the procedure, and so the murder at captain remained Berthold finally unpunished.