Visitors to Dover Castle will soon be able to get a feel for the drama of the Dunkirk evacuation and explore the hidden tunnels where the rescue operation was masterminded.

A new exhibition will allow guests to walk through the wartime tunnels deep beneath the castle, where the sights and sounds of how the mission was devised have been recreated.

It follows two years of research, including the gathering of testimonies from veterans of both the beaches and the tunnels, which, combined with original newsreels, recordings and special effects, deliver a vivid account of what Sir Winston Churchill described as a “miracle of deliverance”.

The exhibition will also pay tribute to Vice-Admiral Bertram Home Ramsay, the man responsible for organising the evacuation in 1940.

The Vice-Admiral was brought out of retirement before the outbreak of World War II and charged with protecting the Straits of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel.

His initial impression of his command centre at Dover Castle was not positive. In a letter to his wife he wrote: “We have no stationery, books, typists or machines, few chairs, very few tables, maddening communications, and nothing but long-retired officers or volunteers.”

However, with less than a week to prepare, and with the help of hundreds of the “little ships” that carried the Allied soldiers across the channel, the operation was a great success and 338,000 troops were brought back.

The new visitor experience will highlight the scale of both the challenges faced by the Vice-Admiral during Operation Dynamo and his achievements.

Visitors will be able to see his cabin and tour some of the original rooms of the adjacent army headquarters, dressed as they were throughout the World War II, including the gun operations room, the telephone exchange, and the coastal artillery operations room.

Simon Thurley, chief executive officer of English Heritage, said: “Helping people to understand the history of this nation through our historic buildings lies at the heart of English Heritage.

“There is no better place in England to learn about the Dunkirk evacuation than Dover Castle.

“With Operation Dynamo, you’ll step into the tunnels and onto the beaches, boats and command centre during one of our darkest yet greatest hours.”

The castle is situated on top of the famous white cliffs of Dover in Kent.

In its role as guardian of the nearest landing point to mainland Europe, the castle has seen unbroken active service for more than nine centuries.

Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk opens to the public on Friday.