Erich's absolutely correct....
As far as I'm concerned, all I've read indicates that the Ju-88G's were the next best thing to the superlative Mosquito as ''Best Nightfighter''...
In fact, running a close third, in my opinion, was the hard work done by the Do-217J N series, notably the ultimate model, Do-217N-2/R22......
What actually happened was when RAF Bomber Command launched 'Operation Gomorrah' on the evening 24 July 1943, the first major phase of Hamburg's demise, [it had already sustained 98 previous smaller attacks], and it was also when the British first dropped 'Window' [tin-foil strips used to disrupt German radar]... - In one stroke, the German 'Himmelbett' radar system, which was the basis of the AA/ Searchlight/ Nightfighter belt or barrier, known as the ''Kammhuber Line'', was thrown into total disarray, the Ground-controllers couldn't pass-on instructions to the beacon-orbiting Nightfighters to home them onto the 800-odd invading British bombers...- This made the 'Kammhuber Line' no longer a viable concept, and in it's place a defensive measure known as 'Wild Sau' [Wild Boar] was adopted using single-seat day fighters, using 'Mk.1 eyeballs'...all the light from searchlights, fires etc. helped them too...All this brought the greatest number of fighter opposition to bear, but one penalty emerged...a lack of airborne endurance, which rendered the fighters's advantage and flexibilty bluntened...
It was back in late May 1942 after the '1,000 Bomber Raid' on Cologne, that the Do-217 started to come into it's own as a Nightfighter, using some of it's bomb bay as fuel tanks....All this time, Ju-88's were in great demand for other tasks mostly, and they didn't come into this proper until later...
Originally, Bf-110's were evolved and used, as 1 Gruppe NJG1 was first formed back on 20 July 1940, but experience from offensive ops against British airfields using Do-17Z-3's and some Ju-88C-2's of 1/NJG 2, the Dornier's were progressively developed from Do-17Z's to Do-215's to Do-217's....They were well-armed and able to keep up with the bombers, and by August 1943, were getting phased-out by more Ju-88's coming on stream....the Dorniers filled the gap really well considering they were a modified 30,000lb bomber, max speed around 300 mph and carrying 4x 20mm MG 151's and 4x 7.9mm MG 17 forward-firing guns, and 4x 20mm MG 151 in ''schrage Musik'', quite deadly in fact.....
To answer Willow's question, the last flying Mosquito was a T III [RR299] which crashed in the UK in 1996, killing both it's crew....There are about 31 survivors worldwide, in various restorative states, but we have a chap down here in NZ who is building brand new fuselages and wings, working with a Canadian Group in restoration of Mosquitos, this chap is determined his remnant Mossie is going to be a flying one, and all us ardent Mossie fans are confident they will be flying again soon too....- I belong to a group here that are restoring the remains of two Mosquitos into one static display...I'll have photos, by and by........
I too have often wondered about the Arado Ar-234 'Blitz', an aircraft I've always liked and felt wasn't used to it's best potential, although time was running-out anyway....As a NF, it may have been a real handful, but Hitler was besotted with it being a bomber/recce model...I felt it may have been a better gun-platform than the Bf-262.....