S7777,
I take your point(s) but...
Q)Does being a member of the Nazi party make you guilty?
A) No, but Nowotny, (and millions of others - I don't really want to single him out, but he is an interesting example) didn't have to fight the Nazi cause quite so strongly if he didn't want to. For example, flying single-seat aircraft would have given him a hundred opportunities to defect if he didn't want to fight for a Nazi victory.
Q) Was he convicted at Nuernberg?
A) No, but I'm not suggesting he was guilty of war crimes - just someone, who does not deserve hero status, simply because he chose to fight for an 'evil empire' even though he must have been intelligent enough to know, that the aims of the Nazi regime could hardly be seen as legitimate by anyone. They knew they were attacking countries without provocation, but went along with it anyway...
To be honest, I would not want to destroy anyone's monument, as to me it's just shows no respect for the dead - but as Nowotny was - in my humble opinion - not someone that current and future generations should remember as a hero, I won't loose any sleep over it. Finally, I believe it is possible to keep the weapons of war in museums, not just because I like historic aircraft, but because we do need to record history with as much accuracy as possible. I'm afraid that in my book that means pointing out that those who fought as hard as possible for the Nazi cause, when they were obviously in a position to do otherwise, don't deserve to be remembered as good guys.
As you say in your last line, removing historical facts does not heal wounds, and of course you are 100% right. But in historical terms, does Nowotny deserve hero status for all eternity?
I think not. (But I wouldn't dig him up!)