  For a local field F with finite residue field of characteristic p, we
describe completely the structure of the filtered F_p[G]-module K^*/K^*p in
characteristic 0 and $K^+/\wp(K^+) in characteristic p, where K=F(\root{p-1}\of
F^*) and G=\Gal(K|F). As an application, we give an elementary proof of Serre's
mass formula in degree p. We also determine the compositum C of all degree p
separable extensions with solvable galoisian closure over an arbitrary base
field, and show that C is K(\root p\of K^*) or K(\wp^{-1}(K)) respectively, in
the case of the local field F. Our method allows us to compute the contribution
of each character G\to\F_p^* to the degree p mass formula, and, for any given
group \Gamma, the contribution of those degree p separable extensions of F
whose galoisian closure has group \Gamma.
