While I agree on the whole, the WWII is a very poor example. It proved that "trying to do their job" may not be a good excuse in some limited circumstance. On top of that, the whole things was on a shaky legal (although maybe not moral IMHO) ground: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_trials#Criticism
The trial itself may have had issues but the point remains that you are responsible for what you do. The only possible exception would be if your life or the life of your loved ones were on the line. Otherwise you are directly responsible for what you do.
It must be this way, otherwise "just doing my job" can be used to justify anything. How many bad things have happened because it was someone's job and it never occurred to the person to simply quit?
