 A trained carpenter, Scheungraber volunteered for the 1st Mountain Division (Wehrmacht) in Mittenwald.In World War II he fought in Poland, France, Russia, and Crete.In 1942 he received serious head injuries from a land mine in the Caucasus; following his recovery and since decorated with the Close Combat Clasp and Iron Cross I and II, he went to Italy per his wish as company commander of Mountain Engineer Battalion 818, where he was temporarily Ordnance Officer ("Ordonnanzoffizier") to the supreme commander in Italy, Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring.