Born as a Protestant pastor's son in Rosenberg, North Baden, Scheel attended classical gymnasium schools in Freiburg, Tauberbischofsheim and Mannheim.

Scheel intensified his activities in right-wing student circles and in the winter semester of 1928-29 became a member of the Verein Deutscher Studenten (VDSt), an umbrella organization of German Studentenverbindung fraternities.

[2] In 1930 he joined the National Socialist German Students' League (NSDStB), on 1 October 1930 the Sturmabteilung (SA) and on 1 December 1930 the Nazi Party (NSDAP).

Furthermore, Scheel exerted influence over the university's appointments and personnel policy in his capacity as student body leader and member of the vice chancellor's leadership staff.

On 6 November 1936, he acceded to the newly created post of Reichsstudentenführer (Reich Student Leader) a position he would retain until the fall of the Nazi regime.

[3] In April 1938, Scheel became an active Senator of Heidelberg University, and he was also elected to the Reichstag from electoral constituency 20, Köln-Aachen, retaining this seat until May 1945.

[6] Scheel, in the spring of 1940 performed military service as a medical officer with the rank of Unterarzt, serving with the Luftwaffe in the battle of France.

From August 1940 to January 1941 he was Commander of the Sicherheitspolizei and the SD attached to the office of the Chief of Civil Administration in Alsace, Robert Heinrich Wagner.

Formally installed on 27 November, he also that day succeeded Rainer as Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) thus uniting under his control the highest party and governmental offices in his jurisdiction.

This entailed responsibility for civil defense and evacuation measures as well as administration of wartime rationing and suppression of black market activity.

After the discovery of resistance groups in Salzburg, Scheel organized a widespread wave of arrests and had a number of railwaymen put to death.

On 29 April 1945, Adolf Hitler, in his political testament, named Scheel Reich Minister of Culture, in the short-lived Goebbels cabinet.

A local court sentenced him in December 1948 to five years in a labour camp, and classified him as Category I, Hauptschuldiger (literally "main culprit").

He was however released on 24 December 1948 as a result of several testimonies in his defence stating that he had ignored Hitler's commands to defend the city of Salzburg against the approaching US forces.